Country News
Brazil: Alexandre Mendonça De Barros of MB Agro says that the nation’s corn crop will fall to 85-90 MMT in 2017-18, down from 100 MMT previously. (Reuters)
Ethiopia: Following the third straight year of lower corn production due to drought and erratic rainfall, a UK funded program (Climate Resilient Green Economy) providing better weather information to remote farmers intends to create food self-sufficiency by 2025. (Reuters)
Nigeria: The National Biosafety Management Agency has blocked $10 million worth of corn from being imported from Argentina due to it containing unapproved GMO’s. (News Nigeria)
Saudi Arabia: Barley imports are now forecast at 7.8 MMT in 2017-18, down 13 percent from the last USDA estimate of 9 MMT. The cause, according to the FAS attaché in Riyadh, is record high barley imports in 2015/16, leading to increased carryover stocks, plus increased consumption of domestically produced feed. (GAIN Report)
Zimbabwe: In the midst of political upheaval, Zimbabwe’s maize production has been erratic and caused the country to lose its position as Sub-Saharan Africa’s second largest maize exporter to others including Zambia and Tanzania. South Africa remains the region’s largest maize exporter. (World Perspectives, Inc.)