Reuters — Russia sought on Thursday to retaliate against Western sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine by banning exports of certain goods and agricultural commodities. Exporting telecom, medical, auto, agricultural, electrical and tech equipment, as well as some forestry products, will be banned until the end of 2022. “These measures are a logical response […] Read more

Moscow retaliates against sanctions with export bans

Italian ministry tells firms to source durum from Canada
Rome | Reuters — In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Italian firms can source durum wheat from Canada, the Italian industry ministry said in a statement following meetings on Wednesday with various firms and associations. The statement added that alternative suppliers for clay, iron and sunflower seeds had not yet been found. Ukraine […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME futures slide on U.S., global economic fears
Inflation 'starting to spook' consumers
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle and lean hog futures fell sharply on Wednesday, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continued to fuel worries about the health of global and domestic economies, traders said. The livestock market also followed a slump in grain and oilseed futures, which continued to be rattled by global […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME cattle firm, hogs rebound
Hogs up off lowest since Feb. 4
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rose on a round of technical buying on Tuesday after snapping an eight-session losing streak on Monday, traders said. Hog futures rallied on a bargain-buying bounce after sinking to their lowest in more than a month and feeder cattle futures also were firm. CME April […] Read more

Iraq to create strategic wheat reserve
Reuters — Iraq will allocate US$100 million to urgently purchase wheat and create a strategic reserve by importing three million tons of the grain, the commerce minister said in a statement on Monday. “The ministry has a plan to achieve food security for citizens and to address the global rise in food prices due to […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME cattle bounce from multi-month lows
Chicago lean hogs extend declines
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures rebounded from multi-month lows on Monday, while hog futures eased on follow-through selling after notching a limit-down decline on Friday. Live cattle futures snapped an eight-session losing streak that saw the April contract shed seven per cent of its value and drove prices to their lowest […] Read more

Louis Dreyfus suspends operations in Russia
Paris | Reuters — Louis Dreyfus Co., (LDC), one of the world’s largest agricultural commodity merchants, has suspended its operations in Russia, it said on Friday. LDC did not provide further details in an emailed response to a question about the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on its activities. Like other crop traders, it […] Read more

EU predicts pain for farmers, consumers from Ukraine crisis
Brussels | Reuters — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and EU sanctions on Moscow will prove painful for farmers, consumers, fertilizer makers and exporters of farm products, the European Commission warned on Monday. Michael Scannell, deputy director-general of the Commission’s agriculture division, said grain buyers should brace for higher prices given that Russia and Ukraine made […] Read more

Loblaw beats estimates for quarterly revenue
Reuters — Canadian retailer Loblaw Cos. beat market estimates for quarterly revenue on Thursday, as demand for groceries and other essential items stayed strong. The pandemic-led trend of cooking at home has sustained even as COVID curbs have eased, continuing to help sales at grocery stores that benefited during last year’s lockdowns. Companies such as […] Read more

Vilsack hopes fertilizer firms don’t take advantage of Ukraine crisis
Washington | Reuters — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Thursday he hoped fertilizer and agriculture supply companies affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine would not take unfair advantage of the situation, amid already-high fertilizer and crop prices. Fertilizer costs have soared due to rising demand and lower supply as record natural gas and […] Read more