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☆ India’s farmers are up in arms again. Will it hurt Modi’s reelection campaign?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Vinay Dwivedi | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Narinder Nanu | AFP | Getty ImagesNEW DELHI — Farmers in India's Punjab state are raising the pitch of their ongoing protests, as the second phase of India's general elections starts Friday. Thousands of farmers continue to drum up support for their demands, foremost being a legal guarantee for minimum support prices for their produce. A Lokniti-CSDS survey earlier this month showed 59% of the respondents found the farmers' demands "genuine," while 16% deemed the protests a "conspiracy" against the government. CNBC did not immediately receive a response from India's Agriculture Ministry on queries pertaining to the farmers' demands. What India's farmers want

Persons: Narinder Nanu, Narendra Modi, Modi, Yogendra Yadav, Sanjay Kumar, Modi's, Kumar, it's, Jagjit Singh, Ayyakannu, Dallewal Organizations: AFP, Getty, DELHI — Farmers, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Modi's BJP, CNBC, India's Agriculture, Tamil Nadu, Morcha Locations: Amritsar, DELHI, India's Punjab, Punjab, Khanauri, Haryana, India, New Delhi, Delhi, Tamil, Varanasi, Tamil Nadu, Varansai, Uttar Pradesh, Samyukta

☆ Helicopter rescues Taiwan miners as earthquake injuries cross 1,000
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A person walks past an area of a damaged building that is cordoned off following the earthquake on April 04, 2024 in Hualien, Taiwan. A helicopter ferried to safety six miners trapped on a cliff in a dramatic rescue after the quake cut off the roads into Hualien's soaring mountains, in footage shown by the department. People in largely rural and sparsely populated Hualien county were readyingto go to work and school when the earthquake struck offshore on Wednesday. Dozens of residents queued outside one badly damaged 10-storey building, waiting to go in and retrieve belongings. She recalled the moment the quake struck, sending the building lurching and furniture sliding, while she rushed to save the four puppies she keeps as pets.

Persons: Yu, Tian Liang, I'm Organizations: Reuters Locations: Hualien, Taiwan, Taipei

☆ Dachshund could face ban in Germany because of inherent health problems, highlighting wider dog breeding concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. In that case, the legally stipulated breeding ban will affect all healthy dogs that deviate from the wolf type in their appearance," per The Times. AdvertisementDachshunds are plagued by a range of health problems relating to their "extreme body shape," according to the British Veterinary Association. Joey Hadden/Business InsiderDachshunds are not the only breed to suffer from breeding-related issues. Other dogs with significant health issues derived from selective breeding include the pug and the bulldog, both suffer from serious breathing difficulties due to their flat faces.

Persons: —, Peter Friedrich, Joey Hadden, Dachshunds Organizations: Service, German Kennel, The, Business, Times, Sky, British Veterinary Association, UK's Royal Society for, Animals, RSPCA, PETA Locations: Germany, London

Waldi, the official mascot of the 1972 Olympics, was modeled on a dachshund called Fritz (the real dog in the middle). Courtesy Kerstin Schwartz“The sausage dog is part of Germany’s cultural heritage,” Marion Michelet, chairwoman from the Deutscher Teckelklub Berlin-Brandenburg kennel club and owner of a dachshund called Pepper, told CNN Wednesday. Michelet told CNN that the “abnormalities of the skeletal system” could be seen as a ban on breeding for “any significant size deviation from wolves,” which are the ancestor of all modern-day dogs. Germany’s agriculture ministry denied that the new draft bill would amount to a ban on particular breeds, including the sausage dog. “For 136 years we have not changed our standard breeding practices.”“If the breeding ban happens it would have a significant impact” on dog breeders like her, she said, adding: “I hope it won’t come to that.”

Persons: CNN —, Snoopy, Fritz, Napoleon Bonaparte, Germany’s, Kaiser Wilhelm II, “ Erdmann, ”, Pablo Picasso, Le Chien, Germany's, Kerstin Schwartz, ” Marion Michelet, Pepper, Michelet Organizations: CNN, German Kennel, Bettmann, Olympic, Deutscher Teckelklub Locations: Germany, Brandenburg, Berlin

MADRID (AP) — Mirroring protests across Europe, thousands of farmers in Spain staged a second day of tractor demonstrations on Wednesday across the country, blocking highways to demand changes in European Union farming policies and measures to combat production cost hikes and severe drought. The protests, involving several thousand people on tractors and in other vehicles, haven't been backed by Spain´s three main farming organizations, which have called for separate protests in the coming days. Speaking in Spain's parliament on Wednesday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged to help farmers and take their case to Europe. Agriculture Minister Luis Planas Puchades met with farmers’ unions on Friday, but failed to persuade them to halt the protests. There have been other protests in countries such as France, Poland and Greece in recent days.

Persons: Efe, Spain ´, Pedro Sánchez, Luis Planas Puchades, Hadja Lahbib, Maroš Šefčovič, Raf Casert Organizations: MADRID, Agriculture Ministry, Agriculture, European Commission, Foreign Locations: Europe, Spain, Union, Castellon, Jerez, State, Barcelona's, Spain's Catalonia, Madrid, Ukraine, France, Poland, Greece, Belgium, Brussels

☆ Ship Carrying 16,000 Sheep and Cattle Stranded off Australia
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

"It's very hard to imagine that that is consistent with the animal welfare standards that Australians expect to be applied to Australian animals." ROUGH WEATHERAustralia is a major exporter of live animals, shipping more than half a million sheep and half a million cattle last year. Most cattle go to Asian markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam but the Middle East is by far the biggest destination for Australian sheep. Israel is a key market, receiving 86,100 sheep worth $6.5 million and 10,848 cattle worth $14 million from Australia in the first three months of last year, trade data show. Australia's Labor government has pledged to outlaw exports of live sheep in coming years but faces angry pushback from farm groups who say this would put people out of work and destroy farming communities.

Persons: Peter Hobson CANBERRA, Yemen's, Josh Wilson, Bassem, Geoff Pearson, Canberra, Peter Hobson, Stephen Coates Organizations: Fremantle, WA Farmers, Reuters, Korkyra Shipping, Labor Locations: Australia, Israel, Africa, Red, Europe, Asia, Indonesia, Vietnam, New Zealand

☆ Farmers in Europe Step up Protests Against Rising Costs, Green Rules
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Farmers say they are not being paid enough, are choked by taxes and green rules and face unfair competition from abroad. French farmers have already won several concessions, including the government dropping plans to gradually reduce subsidies on agricultural diesel. On Wednesday, European Commissioners proposed limiting agricultural imports from Ukraine and greater flexibility on rules on fallow land in a bid to quell protests. In Italy, farmers have blocked traffic with hundreds of tractors near motorway access points near Milan, in Tuscany and elsewhere in recent days. While a deal looks possible on fallow land, the question of talks on a major trade deal with the Mercosur group is more contentious.

Persons: Marco Trujillo, Philip Blenkinsop PARIS, Adelin Desmecht, Gerald Darmanin, Bruno, Coldiretti, Le Maire, Abdul Saboor, Jean, Stephane Brosse, Gus Trompiz, Dominique Vidalon, Benoit van Overstraeten, Geert de Clercq, Charlotte van, Phil Blenikinsop, Alvise Arminelli, Ingrid Melander, Ros Russell Organizations: EU, South, Farmers, Mercosur, French Finance, European Commission, South American, Charlotte van Campenhout Locations: BRUSSELS, Europe, Brussels, Belgian, France, Paris, Belgium, Zeebrugge, Ukraine, Mercosur, Italy, Milan, Tuscany, Bordeaux, Amsterdam

☆ France puts country on 'high' alert for bird flu
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - France raised the risk level of bird flu to 'high' from 'moderate' on Tuesday after the detection of new cases of the disease, forcing poultry farms to keep birds indoors to stem the spread of the highly contagious virus. Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has led to the culling of hundreds of millions birds worldwide in recent years. France said last week that it had detected a first bird flu outbreak on a farm this season in Brittany, in the northwest of the country. The "high" risk level implies that all poultry should be kept inside on farms and additional security measures taken to avoid a spread of the disease. Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide and Gus Trompiz; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sybille de La Hamaide, Gus Trompiz, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Thomson Locations: France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Brittany

☆ China's big pig breeders dig in as losses and debts mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Dominique Patton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

BEIJING, Dec 4 (Reuters) - The biggest pig breeders in China, consumer of fully half the world's pork, seem to have bitten off more than they can chew. More huge losses are expected next year, putting China's pig enterprises under pressure to slim down their breeding herds and sell off farms, many of which are sitting empty. But now, especially given the companies' high debt levels, the analyst said: "It's hard for them to borrow any money from the banks." That follows a 17% surge in the first nine months of this year at China's 15 big market-listed breeders even as they reported 200 billion yuan in combined net losses. China's agriculture ministry has warned of heavier losses for the sector in early 2024 than a year ago and urged pig producers to cut output.

Persons: Lyle Jones, Hope Liuhe, they're, Flora Zhu, Dominique Patton, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Inc, Dalian Commodity Exchange, Tech - Bank, Jiangxi Zhengbang Technology, Analysts, Muyuan Foods, Foodstuff, WH, HK, Smithfield Foods, Hua'an Securities, China Corporate Research, Fitch, Beijing, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Fujian Aonong, Jiangxi, Beijing

☆ Japan detects season's first bird flu case, to cull 40,000 birds - NHK
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] An aerial view shows officials wearing protective suits cull chickens at a poultry farm where officials detected highly pathogenic H5-type bird flu, in Kashima, Saga prefecture, Japan November 25, 2023, in this photo taken by Kyodo. The local government in Saga prefecture will cull about 40,000 birds on the farm, NHK said, citing agriculture ministry officials it did not name. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will convene relevant cabinet ministers to discuss measures to prevent spreading of the virus, NHK said. The virus was detected as a result of genetic testing conducted after some poultry birds were found dead at the farm on Friday, the report said. In Japan a record 17.7 million poultry birds were culled last season, prompting the authorities to stay on high alert.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Tetsushi Kajimoto, William Mallard Organizations: Kyodo, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, NHK, Thomson Locations: Kashima , Saga prefecture, Japan, Saga

HWASEONG, South Korea, Nov 24 (Reuters) - As South Korea moves to ban eating dog meat, many of those involved in the centuries-old controversial practice are fighting to keep it legal. A Gallup Korea poll last year showed almost two-thirds of respondents opposed eating dog meat, with only 8% saying they had eaten dog within the past year, down from 27% in 2015. Despite its declining popularity and opposition from animal rights activists, previous attempts to ban dog meat have failed because of industry protests. With the backing of the public, and bipartisan support in parliament, there are signs that the ban could soon become law. Nam Sung-gue who has run a restaurant selling dog meat boshintang, or "restoring" soup, for the past 30 years, said the ban was unfair, even though his business is fast declining.

Persons: Lee Kyeong, I've, Nam Sung, Kim Keon Hee, Yoon Suk Yeol, gil, Daewoung Kim, Soo, hyang Choi, Jack Kim, Miral Organizations: Power Party, Gallup, Korean Association, Edible, Minwoo, Thomson Locations: South Korea, Korea, Seoul, Gallup Korea

Agriculture has suffered losses of over $25 billion since the war began, Ukrainian grain trader association UGA estimates. Ukraine's grain exports so far in the 2023/24 season that started in July are running 28% below the year-earlier volume, according to agriculture ministry data. A new Black Sea shipping channel may offer a lifeline, like for Ukraine's depleted steel industry. An additional 943,000 tons should leave from Black Sea ports and 464,000 tons from the Danube by the month-end. A Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa on Nov. 21 added to a series of attacks on Ukraine's Black Sea and Danube grain ports.

Persons: Stringer, Jean, Francois Lepy, Dmitry Skornyakov, Denys Marchuk, Skornyakov, Yuriy Stelmakh, Roman Gorobets, Soliman, Scott Wellcome, Pavel Polityuk, Gus Trompiz, Nigel Hunt, David Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Agriculture, UGA, Spike, Agrarian Council, FE ASTRA, Kremlin, Mediterranean, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Zaporizhzhia region, PARIS, Russia, UN, Geneva, Black, Russian, Odesa, Romania's Constanta, Brazil, Egypt, GoodMills, Kyiv, Paris, London

☆ Lebanon Says Fires Destroy 40,000 Olive Trees, Blames Israeli Shelling
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Riham AlkousaaBEIRUT (Reuters) - Fires caused by Israeli shelling in south Lebanon have burned some 40,000 olive trees and torched hundreds of square km (miles) of land, dealing a serious blow to a major Lebanese crop, the agriculture minister said. The Israeli army denied the accusation and said the types of smoke-screen shell it uses do not contain white phosphorus. "These olives have not been harvested yet, meaning we lost the trees and the season," Hajj Hassan said. (But) we have olives trees that are 200 years old." Mohammad el Husseini of the south Lebanon farmers syndicate said the Lebanese government would not be able to compensate farmers for the losses, with the country four years into a devastating financial meltdown.

Persons: Israel, Abbas Hajj Hassan, Hajj Hassan, Dory Farah, Alma Alashaab, Mohammad el Husseini, Riham Alkousaa, Emily Rose, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Hezbollah, Hamas, Reuters, Agriculture, Agriculture Organization, FAO Locations: Riham, BEIRUT, Lebanon, Iran, Lebanese, Israel, Palestinian, Alma, Food, Olive, Beirut, Jerusalem

BRUSSELS (AP) — These days, think twice before you lavishly ladle olive oil onto your pasta, salad or crusty bread. Olive oil, a daily staple of Mediterranean cuisine and the life of many a salad throughout Europe, is experiencing a staggering rise in price. In Spain, the world's biggest olive oil producer, prices jumped 53% in August compared to the previous year and a massive 115% since August 2021. Apart from olive oil, “potato prices were also on a staggering rise,” according to EU statistical agency Eurostat. Even if ETUC blames profiteering of big agroindustry in times of crisis, the olive oil sector has faced its own challenges.

Persons: ”, Esther Lynch, ETUC, ___ Ciarán Giles Organizations: European Union ., Eurostat, European Trade Union Confederation, Agriculture Ministry Locations: BRUSSELS, Olive, Europe, European Union . Olive, Spain, U.S, Japan, Ukraine, Madrid

“If we put our hands up, we will have a food crisis in Israel.”The Israel-Hamas war has plunged Israel’s agricultural heartlands, located around the Gaza Strip and in the north near the Lebanese and Syrian borders, into crisis. Meanwhile, farms in the north produce 40% of the country's sub-tropical fruit and 70% of its eggs, the Agriculture Ministry said. It also plans to build greenhouses to make up for potential shortages, construct hundreds of bomb shelters near farms and support volunteer efforts to fill labor gaps. Before the war, roughly half of Israel's agricultural workforce was composed of foreign and Palestinian labor. As Israel calls 360,000 reservists up for military service, posts from pickers to truck drivers have been left abandoned, the Agriculture Ministry says.

Persons: Avi, —, ”, Chivivian, Uri Dorman, Dorman, Yated, “, I’m, Ben Assayag, it’s, Liad Vaknin, ” Vaknin, Marcelo, Wasser, “ I’m, ” ___ Frankel Organizations: Agriculture Ministry, Israel Farmers, West Bank, Israel’s Dairy, ” Volunteers Locations: ASHKELON, Israel, Gaza, Yated, Lebanese, Turkey, Haifa, Jerusalem, overdraft, Thailand, Rwanda, Ashkelon, Nirim, Argentina

Overall, China's 2023 imports are likely to reach around 12 million tons, two Singapore-based traders said, topping 2022's record 9.96 million tons, and the avid buying is expected to continue into 2024. read moreBeijing has not provided a crop quality assessment. MORE TO COMEChina's January-September wheat imports jumped 53.6% to 10.17 million metric tons, customs data showed, including 6.4 million tons from Australia and 1.8 million tons from Canada. Chinese wheat purchases have stabilised global wheat prices, one of the Singapore traders said. Given lower output in Australia, traders and analysts said China is likely to import significantly higher volumes of French wheat in the coming months.

Persons: China's, Muyuan, Stefan Meyer, Ma Wenfeng, Price, Rosa Wang, Jeffrey McPike, Naveen Thukral, Dominique Patton, Peter Hobson, Gus Trompiz, Julie Ingwersen, Tony Munroe, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Traders, Russia, Reuters, El, Beijing Orient, Shanghai JC Intelligence Co, U.S, WASDEA Commodities, Thomson Locations: China, SINGAPORE, BEIJING, Chicago, Singapore, Australia, Beijing, Sydney, StoneX, Canada, Indonesia, Japan, North America, U.S, Canberra, Paris

☆ South Korea reports first lumpy skin disease outbreak at cattle farm
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Oct 20 (Reuters) - South Korea reported on Friday the country's first outbreak of lumpy skin disease at a cattle farm, the agriculture ministry said. Four cows at a farm in the western city of Seosan were found to have been infected with the disease after showing skin lesion, the ministry said. Lumpy skin disease, which causes blisters and reduces milk production, is a highly infectious viral disease affecting cattle and buffalo that is transmitted by insect biting. Authorities have restricted access to and from the affected farm and plan to cull some 40 other cows at the facility, it said. The government has also imposed a 48-hour transport ban on cattle across the country starting on Friday afternoon to prevent the risk of a further spread of the disease, the ministry said.

Persons: Soo, Choi, Ed Davies Organizations: Thomson Locations: SEOUL, South Korea, Seosan

1 corn exporter to Brazil last year when the South American country harvested a breakthrough crop, just months after China gave the green light to Brazilian corn imports. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday maintained 2023-24 Brazilian corn production at 129 million metric tons, identical to the initial May projection. Conab predicts Brazil’s second corn harvest, which supplies the country's exports, could fall nearly 11% on the year to 91.2 million tons. China, like the United States, is winding down its 2023-24 corn harvest. On an October-September basis, USDA sees 2023-24 Brazilian corn exports at 59 million tons versus 53.7 million in 2022-23, and U.S. shipments are pegged at 52.5 million tons in 2023-24 versus 43 million in 2022-23.

Persons: Farmer Roger Hadley, John Deere, Bing Guan, Conab, Brazil Karen Braun, Karen Braun, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United, U.S . Department of Agriculture, El, USDA, U.S, USA, Brazil, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Woodburn , Indiana, U.S, Rights NAPERVILLE , Illinois, United States, Brazil, China, USDA, Northern, Southern, Mexico, Japan

☆ Ukraine's relentless targeting of the Black Sea Fleet has disrupted Russia's efforts to block a key export
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine has increased its attacks on Russia's Black Sea fleet in recent weeks. AdvertisementAdvertisementA recent spate of destructive Ukrainian attacks on Russia's Black Sea Fleet may have as much to do with Ukraine's economic prospects as its military tactics. AdvertisementAdvertisementUkraine's economic interest in the Black Sea is an added layer to the warfare already ongoing in the region. Ukraine has long had reason to target Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which plays a key role in launching long-distance missile strikes. Ukraine recently launched missile strikes on the Black Sea Fleet's headquarters in the city of Sevastopol.

Persons: —, Simon Miles, Miles, they've Organizations: Service, United Nations, Black, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union, UN, The New York Times, NATO, The Times, Ukrainian Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Crimean, Black, Soviet, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Crimea, Sevastopol

☆ Ukraine faces unfavourable weather conditions for winter sowing - forecasters
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises in the sky after shelling near a winter wheat field, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the town of Bakhmut, in Donetsk region, Ukraine June 18, 2022. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File photoKYIV (Reuters) - The prolonged absence of rain in most Ukrainian regions have created unfavourable conditions for sowing and development of winter crops, analyst APK-Inform on Monday quoted Ukraine’s state weather forecasters as saying. Ukraine is a traditional grower of winter wheat which accounts for around 95% of the overall wheat output. “The conditions for soil moisture accumulation remained extremely unfavourable,” forecasters said in a report. Ukraine harvested 22.2 million tonnes of wheat in 2023.

Persons: Gleb Garanich Organizations: REUTERS Locations: Ukraine, Bakhmut, Donetsk region

☆ Thousands of Greeks rally as state workers strike over labour law plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Renee Maltezou | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The one-day nationwide strike called by Greece's largest public sector union ADEDY is the first walkout since the Mitsotakis government's re-election for a second term. The protesters marched to parliament, where lawmakers were debating the planned changes, which are expected to be passed this week. It also enables employers to implement a six-day working week. Employers face a fine up to 10,500 euros ($11,175) if they fail to declare an employee's extension of working hours or change of shifts. The bill also introduces fines and a six-month jail term against those who obstruct employees from working during a strike.

Persons: Louisa Gouliamaki, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Lambrini Christoyanni, Renee Maltezou, Andrew Cawthorne, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Employers, Greece's Communist Party KKE, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece

☆ Poland says it will stop arming Ukraine. How did we get here – and what does it mean for the war?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Poland’s decision was both sudden and predictable, coming after months of tensions over a temporary ban on Ukrainian grain imports to a number of European Union countries. “We no longer transfer weapons to Ukraine because we are now arming Poland,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in a blunt social media statement on Wednesday. But three nations – Poland, Hungary and Slovakia – said they intended to defy the change and keep the restrictions in place. They are particularly suffering in their stronghold rural regions in eastern Poland, where agriculture is an important economic pillar. The urgency of the war to Poland has also slipped over the course of year.

Persons: Mateusz Morawiecki, Morawiecki, Piotr Muller, CNN Muller, Slovakia –, Alexander Ermochenko, Volodymyr Zelensky, Zelensky, ”, Mateusz, Beata Zawrzel, PiS, Vladimir Putin Organizations: London CNN, European Union, NATO, Ukrainian, CNN, EU, European Commission, Reuters, UN, Assembly, Ukraine, Law, Justice, Confederation, Kyiv Locations: Kyiv, Russia, Poland’s, Poland, Ukraine, Polish, United States, Soviet, Warsaw, Slovakia, Hungary, Europe, Zaporizhzhia, Russian, New York, Moscow, Ukrainian, Germany, Ukraine’s

Summary Egypt seeking cheaper wheat amid dollar crunchRussia blocked deal that undercut price floor- tradersCAIRO, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Egypt is in talks with an Abu Dhabi-based bank for a loan facility that would finance wheat purchases from Kazakhstan, three traders told Reuters. The move could give Egypt a cheap alternative to grain from Russia, which has supplied an increasing share of Egypt's wheat since last year but recently blocked a deal for a purchase below an unofficial price floor for wheat purchases, traders say. Russia's agriculture ministry recently prevented the private sale of 480,000 tons of Russian wheat to Egypt, apparently because it was sold below the price floor, traders told Reuters. Kazakhstan is already an approved wheat import origin for Egypt, but purchases from the Central Asian country are rare. The Egyptian government recently signed a $500 million loan agreement with the Abu Dhabi Exports Office (ADEX) to buy imported wheat from UAE-based agribusiness Al Dahra.

Persons: Abu, GASC, Sarah El Safty, Michael Hogan, Aidan Lewis, Mark Potter Organizations: Reuters, General Authority for Supply Commodities, Central, Abu, Abu Dhabi Exports Office, Thomson Locations: Egypt, Russia, CAIRO, Abu Dhabi, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, France, Bulgaria, UAE

Farmers across the agrarian heartland that makes Thailand the world's second-largest rice exporter should be poised to benefit. These pressures on the sector, reported in detail for the first time by Reuters, are squeezing debt-laden Thai farmers despite tens of billions of dollars in subsidies over the past decade. Successive governments have spent 1.2 trillion Thai baht ($33.85 billion) on price and income interventions for rice farmers in the last decade, estimates Somporn. The average Thai farmer's income has dwindled. Unstable income for Thai rice farmersIn the years since Sripai followed her family into the paddy fields, the challenges have multiplied, but current prices offer a rare opportunity.

Persons: Somporn, Sripai, Danai Saengthabthim, Srettha Thavisin, King Chulalongkorn, Nipon Poapongsakorn, Thailand's, KNIT's, Yingluck Shinawatra, Yingluck, Devjyot Ghoshal, Pasit, Katerina Ang, Kay Johnson Organizations: Farmers, Reuters, Research, Knowledge Network Institute of Thailand, Bank for Agriculture, Agricultural Cooperatives, Agriculture, El, National Water Resources, Thailand Development Research, Nipon, Thomson Locations: Thailand, Kaeo, Chai, India, East, Asia, Africa, Rice, Chai Nat, Bangkok, Bangladesh, Nepal, Vietnam

Spanish farmer Miguel Moreno was an early adopter of so-called cover crops. Spain's drought-hit olive oil production slumped to 663,000 tonnes last year, less than half the average of 1.45 million tons recorded in the previous four harvests, according to the government. In January, it began subsidising farmers who use cover crops as part of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). She said the company was pushed both by customers such as Walmart in the U.S. and by regulation to buy olive oil from producers using sustainable practices. Ecology professor Manzaneda is also coordinator of EU-funded project SOIL O-LIVE and is testing methods for coaxing Albacete's degraded earth back to health.

Persons: Chiclana de Segura, Jon Nazca, Andrea Ronca, Miguel Moreno, Angel, Dcoop, Gonzalo Delacamara, Emilio Gonzalez, Antonio Manzaneda, Manzaneda, Olive, Syngenta, Luis Miranda, Domingo, Marco Trevisan, Dean, Simone Rech, Catalonia's Cava, Sebastiano Conti, Charlie Devereux, Antonella, Corina Pons, Keith Weir, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: REUTERS, Companies Southern, VILLANUEVA DEL ARZOBISPO, Farmers, European Union, of Nutrition, Plant Science, IE, Water, University of Cordoba, University of Jaen, European, Walmart, Swiss, Syngenta, EU, TECH, Smart, Milan Polytechnic, University of Brescia, of Agricultural Sciences, Catholic University of Piacenza, Thomson Locations: Olive, Chiclana, Jaen, Spain, ROME, Italy, Madrid, European, France, Germany, Mantua, Andalusia, European Union, U.S, ITALY, Treviso, Venice, Sicily

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