Colombia Should Harvest More Than 12 Million Bags of Arabica Coffee in 2024
The government has granted permission for the commercialization of GMO corn varieties in the country, authorizing corn cultivars DP202216-6 and DP-202216-6 x MON-00603-6 x DAS-40278-9, which have greater grain production potential and tolerance to herbicides. (Bioeconomy Secretariat)
To avoid the illegal soybean trade, a resolution was issued requiring farmers to report to the National Seed Institute “the volumes by variety of seed used or to be used in the sowing of the respective season and accredit, with the respective documentation (purchase invoice), the acquisition or legal origin of the seed of the declared variety(ies), regardless of whether or not they have current ownership at the time of the request”. The measure also includes wheat, barley, peas, chickpeas, peanuts, cotton and rice seeds. (Inase)
Eloisa Frederking, secretary of the Argentine Rural Society, takes over for the second time the Board of Directors of the World Farmers Organization, representing Central and Latin America. (SRA; OMA)
BNDES approved financing of US$ 28.9 million to Transdourada Navegação Ltda, in Ananindeua, State of Pará, which will invest in waterway transportation of grains in the state. US$ 23.2 million comes from the Fundo Clima (Climate Fund) and US$ 5.8 million from BNDES Finame, the bank’s financing line for machinery and equipment. (BNDES)
The Parliamentary Front for Agriculture expressed dissatisfaction and concern over the postponement of the Plano Safra 2024/25 (Brazilian Government’s Rural Credit Plan), alleging “disorganization and inefficiency of the Federal Government”. They point out that the delay will leave farmers uncovered during the first week of the plan’s terms, which may cause the release of credit to take longer. (FPA)
Freight prices in May rose due to the corn harvest and soybean sales. “In June, the market should tend to heat up and prices will rise (…) however, it is possible that the price conditions for corn may influence this market, reducing the pressure on demand for product transportation”, said Thomé Guth, Superintendent of Operational Logistics at the National Supply Company of Brazil. (Conab)
Wheat planting in the State of Paraná reached 94% of the cultivated area last week. Around 69% of the crops are in good condition, 24% in average condition and 7% in poor condition. In the case of off-season corn, 42% of the farms were harvested this week, with 48% of the areas in good condition and 34% and 18% in average and poor condition, respectively. (Deral)
The number of fires in the Pantanal biome reached a record 3372 cases in June, the highest number since 1998. Around 95% of the fires originated on private properties, and 5% (189 areas) in Indigenous Lands and conservation units. (INPE; UFRJ)
JBS launched the Escritórios Verdes (Green Offices) 2.0 program, a hub for providing socio-environmental services to small farmers. (JBS)
The sugar-ethanol company Tereos achieved net revenue of US$ 1.2 billion in the 2023/24 season, an increase of 30% when compared to the previous season. This result was driven by better sugar prices, the value increase of the dollar and record production, with 21.1 million tonnes (+22%) of sugarcane processed. (Tereos)
Soybean planting area in Brazil can expand by up to 36.6 million hectares without deforestation. “If the projections from the Ministry of Agriculture are correct, in the next 10 years we should see an increase of around 12 million hectares in soybean planting in Brazil. This amount represents the use of only 1/3 of all the available pastures with high suitability for soybean cultivation in Brazil”, said Joel Risso, director of New Agricultural Business at Serasa Experian. (Serasa Experian)
Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero – SAG has warned of attacks by American mink (Neovison vison), an animal found in Canada and the USA, which has been threatening poultry production and biodiversity in La Araucanía, Los Ríos, Los Lagos, Aysén. “These animals not only attack our birds, which are vital to the livelihood of many families, but they also alter our ecosystems, competing with local species and reducing biodiversity”, said SAG’s national director, José Guajardo Reyes. The program conducted in Los Lagos has already captured around 2,600 animals and operations continue. (SAG)
The situation of the dams in O’Higgins still presents risks due to heavy rainfall. The Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela, said that there is still a possibility of the reservoir overflowing, but that “the early warnings worked and there will be help for both the agricultural sector and beekeeping”. (Minagri)
More than 12 million bags of Arabica coffee are expected to be harvested in 2024, following the heavy rains caused by La Niña and the arrival of El Niño. The president of the National Federation of Coffee Growers, Germán Jaramillo, emphasizes that prices should improve. (FNC)
Julio Berdegué Sacristán is the new Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development of Mexico. (Sader)
Experts from Peru and Chile are analyzing the impacts of Avian Influenza and working together to propose measures against the disease. Around 17 species of seabirds in Peru have died at the coast of the country, with a drop of up to 60% in the population of the Peruvian pelican and the Humboldt penguin. Leonela Valdivia, a specialist at the Ministry of Environment, points out that “the emergency situation could have been worse if there had not been epidemiological surveillance measures and protocols to prevent the spread or dissemination of the disease, considering actions such as disposal of corpses, sampling and biosafety of personnel”. (Sernanp; Conaf)
The Ministry of Agriculture has established alliances with the private sector to “improve competitiveness in the production of not only dent yellow corn, but also other crops such as barley, using financial products from the AgroPerú Fund and business plans from Agroideas,” said Ángel Manero Campos, Minister of Agriculture. (Midagri)
New rice variety was launched by the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation, called “INIA 516 LM1 – La Unión 23”. The new cultivar offers good milling quality, high genetic value and high yields, reaching a harvest level of 10 tonnes per hectare, which is 27% higher than the regional average. (INIA; Midragri)
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