Desert wells in Iraq translate to bumper wheat crop harvest as rivers dry, but experts cast doubts on its sustainability 

IRAQ- Prolonged drought has caused rivers in Iraq to dry up, forcing Iraqi farmers to rely on groundwater for farming, which has translated to a bumper harvest and increased cultivation in the country.  Iraq’s government says this officially-supported shift to wells has allowed the country to double areas cultivated with wheat this year to about 850,000 hectares compared to roughly…

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Foreign currency crunch hits Egypt’s economy creeping payments for wheat imports

EGYPT – Egypt has deferred payments for its large wheat purchases, a move aimed to relieve financial pressures as the country grapples with a shortage of foreign currency, raising concerns among traders as Reuters reports. According to traders, delayed payments for state-purchased wheat, a top priority commodity, were unprecedented as they were stretching to months. Aly Moselhy, Supply and Internal…

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Recent rains raise wheat prospects in cash-trapped Argentina

ARGENTINA- Substantial rains in recent days in major Argentine agricultural areas have improved the outlook for the South-American country’s 2023-24 wheat crop, Reuters reported, citing the Buenos Aires grains exchange. After a severe drought devastated Argentina’s 2022/23 corn and soybean crops, continuing dry conditions could have threatened to set back the planting of the country’s 2023/24 winter wheat crop. Therefore,…

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Egypt expands its wheat storage capacity by 200% in a move to boost local production

EGYPT – In a bid to support local production, the Egyptian government has increased its wheat storage capacity to 3.6 million tons in 2023, compared to 1.2 million tons in 2014, an increase of 200 percent according to a published state report. According to Eficon Agency, the increase follows the establishment of 35 new silos for storing wheat bringing the…

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IFF launches new vital gluten replacer, registers mixed Q1 results to high inflation and soft demand

USA- New York-based International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF)  recently announced the launch of the Enovera 2000 range in Europe, the latest addition to its comprehensive range of market-leading solutions for the bakery industry.   The enzymatic dough strengthener, Enovera 2000, is a vital gluten replacer, especially suitable in whole wheat bread baking.  According to IFF,  the new ingredient can replace up…

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USA to register its smallest wheat harvest since 1957 in year 2023/24: USDA

USA- For the year 2023/24, wheat harvests in the USA plains will likely be the lowest in almost seven decades thanks to drought, according to the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  Additionally, the WASDE report provides that these low harvests will likely bring U.S. wheat supplies to their lowest in…

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Argentine Bioceres to bolster drought-resistant HB4 wheat sales through marketing partnerships

ARGENTINA- Bioceres, an Argentine biotech firm, plans to expand its HB4 wheat seeds sales by partnering with 45 seed multiplier firms ahead of planting season, said Bioceres Chief Executive Officer Federico Trucco in the company’s latest earnings report. HB4 wheat harnesses the power of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) by introducing sunflower genes into the wheat DNA to improve crop productivity. The…

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Global wheat production forecast up 1.5M tons as Argentine crop recovers from severe drought: USDA

GLOBAL- World wheat production is forecast at a record 789.8 million tons for 2023/24, up 1.5 million from the 2022/23 production, partly due to the expected recovery of the Argentine crop from a prolonged severe drought, according to the May 2023 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  Other countries expected to…

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Russia’s 2022/23 wheat exports to hit a record 45m tons despite export challenges: USDA

RUSSIA- Wheat exports from the world’s largest grain exporter, Russia, continued to thrive during the 2022/23 marketing year with ample supplies and competitive prices and  are likely to hit a record 45.0 million tons, according to a report by the foreign agricultural service (FAS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Moreover, export volumes could be even higher had…

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Australia wheat production to drop by 25% to expected dry conditions: USDA

AUSTRALIA – Aussie wheat production in the marketing year 2023-24 is likely to dip 25% from the 39.2 million tonnes estimated in 2022-23, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture. This forecasted dip in production comes after three consecutive years of record-setting wheat crops in Australia.  Interestingly,…

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