Country News
Brazil: The world’s top exporter of corn shipped 20.8 MMT of corn between January-November 10, 2013, which was an improvement over the 19.77 MMT exported in the entirety of 2012, reports Reuters. Brazil exported 22 MMT of corn in the 2012/13 crop year, while the United States exported 18.58 MMT. However, USDA predicts that Brazilian exports will drop off in December and January and at that point the United States will then resume its place as the world’s top exporter of corn.
China: The Chinese government is mounting a massive public relations campaign in order to dispel the belief held by many of the country’s citizens that GMO corn is unsafe for consumption, according to Reuters. China’s burgeoning population has made food security a very real concern for the government and this media campaign is part of a larger effort to secure food sources.
Further on China: The government will continue to purchase domestic corn for the state reserves. This is expected to keep domestic prices higher than those on the global market and will likely trigger increased imports. The government announced that the price at which it will purchase domestic corn will be between 2,220-2,260 yuan/MT ($364.37-$370.94/MT). China stockpiled more than 30 MMT of corn in 2012.
Indonesia: Deputy Agricultural Minister Rusman Heriwan has stated that the country should lift its ban on the production of genetically modified grain in order to boost production, reports Reuters. Skyrocketing food prices over the past five years had caused the government to set a goal of being self-sufficient in beef and corn production by 2014, however the country is unlikely to meet this goal at the current level of production. Indonesia currently allows for the importation of GM feed corn, but has not allowed the introduction of GM seed for domestic production due to widespread negative public opinion.
Israel: Seed tech firm Kaiima Bio-Agritech has announced that it has developed a method to accelerate the process of genome doubling in crops without altering their genetic makeup, according to Reuters. However, details are currently being withheld regarding the particulars of this development. Israel has long been a leader in agricultural technological development and its total agricultural technological exports in 2011 totaled some $3.4 billion.
Japan: The Ministry of Agriculture announced that it will import 10,390 MT of feed barley via an SBS auction that closed on Wednesday, according to Reuters. The government had sought to purchase 120,000 MT of feed wheat and 200,000 MT of feed barley and will be seeking the same amounts in another tender to be held on November 20