Agriculture/Farming

Thai and Vietnamese farmers may stop planting rice because of the Iran war. Here’s why

The Middle East conflict has meant increased freight costs for food exporters

US President Donald Trump’s return to the White House last year brought an aggressive shift towards oil and gas at the expense of renewables.

Is the US falling victim to the resource curse?

Fossil-fuel production doesn’t necessarily crowd out manufacturing

Barry Callebaut recently opened new innovation centre in Singapore, focused in part on vegetable-fat based cocoa coatings.

Cocoa demand recovery bumpy as Europe grinds drop to 17-year low

The most-active New York cocoa contract has slumped more than 70% from a record high in 2024

Prices of fertiliser have doubled in parts of Australia since the outbreak of the war.

Australia secures fertiliser from Indonesia to meet crop needs

About 60% of the nation’s supplies of urea normally travel through the now largely shut Strait of Hormuz

Fuel, particularly diesel, and fertilisers are critical to Thailand’s economy, supporting factories, farms and millions of rural households reliant on rice and other crops.

Thailand rushes to secure oil, fertiliser as Strait of Hormuz remains shut

Despite talk of a US-Iran ceasefire extension, policymakers are still on high alert in South-east Asia

The cash injection comes just as the war in Iran drives up fuel and fertiliser costs and threatens to squeeze margins across the country’s crucial dairy sector.

New Zealand dairy farmers pocket billions from huge capital payout

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has long held the view that the capital return would be used to repay debt

With corn prices rising, it’s not just corn on the cob that will cost more. Corn-fed beef, soft drinks and other food products made with high-fructose corn syrup will also get more expensive.

Hormuz closure threatens global food supply: Why grocery price hikes are coming

The cost and availability of fertiliser will affect the whole world

Brent crude futures prices are averaging north of US$100 per barrel since the escalation, versus a five-year average of US$81 per barrel.
CIO CORNER

Why it is commodities’ turn to shine

The asset class has risen 17% year to date

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen (left) with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra on Mar 24.

Australia deal shows EU is ‘open for business’

Affecting sectors from agriculture to critical minerals, the trade agreement marks a big win for both sides

Technological advancements have transformed strawberry farming in South Korea, but it still requires a great degree of care.

Why South Korea’s strawberry farmers indulge a ‘fussy fruit’

One of the country’s top fresh agricultural exports is the result of decades of research and modernisation