Agricultural Products News

North Carolina Ports Aims to Grow Its Agricultural Opportunities

The North Carolina State Ports Authority announced it is expanding capabilities to better support the North Carolina agriculture industry through a partnership with Scoular.North Carolina Ports on Tuesday received approval from the North Carolina Council of State for a land lease to develop an agricultural transload facility on the Port of Wilmington. Council of State approved the long-term lease for Scoular to develop an at-port facility that will receive, store and load agricultural…

BIMCO: "Soya bean bonanza," U.S. Exports Strongest in History

Following years of disruption to US soya bean exports due to the US-China trade war, the first seven weeks of the 2020/2021 marketing year, which runs from 1 September to 31 August, have seen the strongest exports ever. By October 15, 11.4 million tons of soya beans had been exported by the US, an 85.3% jump from the first seven weeks in the previous marketing year. It is also 19.4% above the previous record in the 2017/2018 marketing year in which 9.6 million tons of soya beans were exported in the same period.Average weekly exports so far this year stand at 1.6 million tons…

China Set to Become World's Top Corn Importer

China’s government is discussing permits for millions of tonnes of additional corn imports over the next year, three industry sources told Reuters, amid a surge in animal feed demand and after storms and drought damage tightened domestic supplies.A round of new import orders from China would make it the world’s top importer of corn for the first time and likely drive up global prices of corn and other grains. That would amplify food inflation caused by disruptions to global supply chains due to the coronavirus pandemic.Food security has emerged as a global theme during the pandemic…

How the Major Dry Bulk Commodities Drive the Freight Market into Q4

The world is in the midst of the second coronavirus wave and with that comes the natural question of how the current dynamics will play out for the dry bulk shipping market. Demand and the subsequent cargo flow of the major dry bulk commodities are critical for the freight market, as we enter the final quarter of the year.Iron ore…has without question performed well this year, on occasion even better than gold, driven by the robust demand generated by China, as the world’s leading iron ore consumer.

Bunge Partners with Brazilian Agriculture Trading Platform Orbia

Global commodities trader Bunge Ltd said on Tuesday it was partnering with Brazil's Orbia, an online platform for forward selling agricultural products and trading farming supplies.Financial and partnership details were not disclosed.Orbia's platform has 170,000 users, who represent 70% of the planted area in Brazil, Bunge said.(Reporting by Roberto Samora; Additional reporting by Sabrina Valle; Editing by Richard Chang)

China Outlines Policy for New Storage Bases for Energy, Agri Imports

China is directing authorities in East China’s Zhejiang province to start planning to build stockpiling bases for energy and agricultural products, part of a push to develop regional free-trade zones (FTZs), a government document said on Monday.The directives call for looking at building above-ground and underground facilities to stockpile oil, gas and chemicals in FTZs that encompass 120 square km (46 square miles), including in parts of provincial cities Ningbo, Hangzhou and Jinyi.“(The government will) support experiments to build oil and gas reserves, to undertake greater tasks of governme

Plaquemines Port to Build Mississippi River Container Terminal

Plaquemines Port Harbor and Terminal District (PPHTD) said it has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with several potential partners to development a multi-modal container terminal on the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, La.The signing of the LOI kicks off a six-month due diligence period during which the parties will conduct multiple studies prior to making a final investment decision (FID).The proposed container terminal would encompass up to 1,000 acres and 8,200 feet of Mississippi River frontage just 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.

IMO Urges Governments to Allow Crew Changes

United Nations shipping agency the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has echoed industry calls for governments to grant special travel exemptions to seafarers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.In a Circular Letter (link) issued on Monday, the IMO distributed a series of recommendations for governments and relevant national authorities, proposed by a broad cross-section of global industry associations representing the maritime transportation sector.The Circular Letter specifically calls on governments to designate professional seafarers and marine personnel…

Oakland Container Volumes Down 1.8% in 2019

The container ship facility located in the San Francisco Bay, Port of Oakland 2019 container volume decreased 1.8 percent from 2018. The Port attributed the decline to fewer empty containers but said loaded import and export containers were at a record high.Oakland handled the equivalent of 2.5 million 20-foot containers (TEUs) in 2019 versus 2.55 million in 2018. The Port attributed the dip to a 13 percent drop in empty container handling.On the other hand, export volume increased 3.7 percent last year, the Port said. Imports were up 1 percent.

Oakland Box Volumes Down 1.8% in 2019

Container volumes at the Port of Oakland decreased 1.8% in 2019, new data shows.The port attributed the decline to fewer empty containers but said loaded import and export containers were at a record high.Oakland handled the equivalent of 2.5 million 20-foot containers (TEUs) in 2019 versus 2.55 million in 2018. The port attributed the dip to a 13% drop in empty container handling.Export volume increased 3.7% last year, and imports were up 1%, the port said. As a result, the port set a record for loaded containers in 2019 with 1.9 million TEUs.

Maersk Delivers Chillies from Varanasi to UAE

Maersk, an integrated logistics company, said it has delivered its first end-to-end shipment of freshly produced green chillies from Varanasi to Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates (UAE), within a duration of nine days.The Danish business conglomerate worked closely with Agricultural and Processed Food Exports Development Authority (APEDA) of India, the apex organization under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, responsible for the export promotion of agricultural products, to enable…

China Hoping for Expedited US Trade Agreement

China said on Monday that it hoped to make a trade deal with the United States as soon as possible, amid intense discussions before fresh U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports are due to kick in at the end of the week.Beijing hopes it can reach a trade agreement with the United States that satisfies both sides, Assistant Commerce Minister Ren Hongbin told reporters on Monday."On the question of China-U.S. trade talks and negotiations, we wish that both sides can, on the foundation of equality and mutual respect…

Dachser Opens Argentina, Chile Offices

Due to the continuous growth of its South American operations, global logistics provider Dachser recently relocated both its Buenos Aires, Argentina regional office as well as its Santiago, Chile regional office to larger facilities.“The business in both Argentina and Chile is expanding and we simply outgrew our offices in these countries. We needed more employees, equipment and space to properly handle the business we have today as well as prepare for the growth we anticipate in these markets,” said Guido Gries, Managing Director Dachser Americas.

Port of Vancouver USA by the Numbers

The Port of Vancouver USA supported more than 24,000 jobs in the region in 2018, an increase of nearly 4,000 jobs since 2014, according to an independent analysis by Martin Associates. The study calculated the economic benefits tied to the port’s marine and industrial activities and was an update to the analysis conducted by the firm in 2014. The study found that 24,068 total jobs were supported by the port in 2018, including 3,910 direct jobs at port facilities, making the port, along with its tenants, the second largest employer in Clark County.

Oakland Port Refrigerated Exports Jump 20%

The Port of Oakland’s refrigerated exports have jumped 20% in past year. The Port said it handled 119,756 20-foot containers of refrigerated exports from August 2018 through July 2019. That was up from 99,740 in the same period a year ago."The figures reinforce Oakland’s position as the largest exporter of refrigerated cargo in containers among U.S. ports," said a press release from the container ship facility located in Oakland, California, in the San Francisco Bay.“Our business partners are investing to meet increased overseas demand for U.S.

China Unveils Retaliatory Tariffs as Dispute Escalates

China unveiled on Friday retaliatory tariffs against about $75 billion worth of U.S. goods, putting an additional 10% on top of existing rates in the latest tit-for-tat exchange in a protracted dispute between the world's top two economies.The latest salvo from China comes after the United States unveiled tariffs on an additional $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, including consumer electronics, scheduled to go into effect in two stages on Sept. 1 and Dec. 15.China's commerce ministry said in a statement it would impose additional tariffs of 5% or 10% on a total of 5…

Trade Fears Drag Stocks, Yuan at 10-Year Low

NEW YORK, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Stock markets around the world fell hard on Monday on fears that China's willingness to let the yuan slide in response to the latest U.S. tariff threat could further aggravate trade-related tensions between the world's two largest economies.China on Monday let the yuan tumble beyond the 7-per-dollar level for the first time in more than a decade, in a sign Beijing might be willing to tolerate further currency weakness after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed last week to impose 10% tariffs on the remaining $300 billion of Chinese imports from Sept.

Beijing: U.S.-China Trade Talks 'constructive'

U.S. and Chinese negotiators wrapped up a brief round of trade talks on Wednesday that Beijing described as "constructive", including discussion of further purchases of American farm goods and an agreement to reconvene in September.The first face-to-face trade talks since a ceasefire was agreed last month amounted to a working dinner on Tuesday at Shanghai's historic Fairmont Peace Hotel and a half-day meeting on Wednesday, before U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin flew out."Both sides…

Port of Oakland Exports Up with Asian Help

The San Francisco Bay container ship facility Port of Oakland said that  its containerized export volume  increased in the first half of 2019 thanks to China’s neighbors.Port data released today showed double-digit export volume percentage increases through June 30 to South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Trade with those three nations alone offset a 17 percent drop in exports to China, the Port said.Exports to China have dropped by the equivalent of 14,000 20-foot cargo containers this year, the Port said. China is Oakland’s largest trading partner.

Dutch Seaports Hit Record Volumes

Dutch seaports processed a record volume of goods in 2018 as the throughput of containers increased the most, reported the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the total volume of incoming and outgoing cargo shipments to and from Dutch seaports reached a historic high of almost 605 million tonnes in 2018."This is an increase of over 1.5 percent relative to 2017. At 4.5 percent, container transhipment saw the highest increase," CBS said.Two-thirds of cargo handling in Dutch seaports consisted of unloaded goods in 2018.

Port of Oakland Concerned with China Trade War

Port of Oakland Executive Director Chris Lytle is sounding an alarm over the trade war with China. The veteran maritime leader this week warned that tariffs imposed by both sides threaten the U.S. economy. He added that trade barriers could dry up his customers’ access to a major export market.“We remain concerned about the impact that tariffs will have on the health of our economy,” the Executive Director wrote in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. “To the extent that other countries are stepping in to provide goods that are exported by U.S.

MSC to Boost Costa Rican's Export

Swiss-based shipping line MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company is improving trade links between Costa Rica and northern Europe by adding a new direct call from the Port of Moin.The container shipping that operates in all major ports of the world said in a press release that MSC Katya R. has become the largest vessel to call Moin Terminal in Costa Rica, launching a new era in cargo shipping for the port and for exporters using its facilities.MSC’s service will bring larger container…

Abadan Ports Exports Up 56% in 2018

Abadan, Arvandankar and Choabdeh ports experienced an increase of 56% in 2018, says Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO).Abadan ports and maritime management announced that the export of goods from the three ports of Abadan in the past year has shown a  growing trend.According to the information system, the exports from these ports increased by 39.471 tons in the same period last year which shows a growth of 56.3% in exports, it said.Agricultural products, meat and meat products…

China Jan Soybean Imports from U.S. Double vs Dec

China's imports of U.S. soybeans nearly doubled in January from the previous month as cargoes booked after a Sino-U.S. trade truce arrived in the world's top oilseed importer, according to Chinese customs data published late on Monday.China brought in 135,814 tonnes of U.S. soybeans in January, up 95 percent from 69,298 tonnes in December. But the figure was still down 99.7 percent from 5.82 million tonnes a year earlier as Beijing's hefty tariffs on American shipments curbed purchases.China typically buys from the United States in the last quarter and first couple of months of the year…

Abadan Ports Records 47% Growth in Exports

Iran's Director of Ports and Maritime Affairs of Abada, Reza Safari,  announced a 47% increase in exports from Abadan, Arvandkenar and Chouebdeh Ports.During the last 10 months of this year, exports of goods and commodities from Abadan ports has increased by 47%, Reza said.The export volume of goods and commodities in the last 10 months of this year was 27 thousand 735 tons more than in the same period last year.Agricultural products, household appliances and light products, meat and meat products are among the most exported items from the three ports of Abadan, Arvandkenar and Chouebdeh.

Taiwan's Evergreen Opens Four New Offices in Latin America

Taiwanese container transportation and shipping company  Evergreen Marine Corp. is expanding its operations into Central and South America this year following the recent opening of four new agency offices in the region."In view of the growth potential in Latin American trade, Evergreen Line is continuing to establish its own offices at main service locations in the region. The move will strengthen the effectiveness of the line’s operations, improve its capability to react to market opportunities…