Sharp Gains Expected in Kenya Grain Imports
World-Grain – 03/26/2019
Imports of corn, wheat and rice are expected to increase in Kenya in the 2019-20 marketing year due in large part to a widening local supply deficit, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA said Kenya’s corn and wheat production are forecast to fall due to reduced planted area. Meanwhile, rice production is expected to stagnate, reflecting delays in anticipated rehabilitation and expansion of the country’s irrigation infrastructure…Wheat production also is expected to fall, easing to 320,000 tonnes in 2019-20 from 360,000 tonnes in 2018-19. The USDA said farmers in Kenya are shifting to more competitive enterprises, including barley, dairy, sorghum and pyrethrum. A surge in wheat imports is forecast for the coming year, the USDA said. The agency said the bulk of Kenya’s wheat imports come from Russia, Argentina, Ukraine, Canada and Latvia.
Malaysia Grain Imports Seen on Upswing
World-Grain – 03/26/2019
alaysia is forecast to import more corn, wheat and rice in the 2019-20 marketing year, according to a March 20 Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)…Wheat imports in Malaysia are forecast at 1.78 million tonnes in 2019-20, up from 1.75 million tonnes in 2018-19 and compared with 1.612 million tonnes in 2017-18. The USDA said the small increase reflects expectations that consumption will remain relatively flat during the year. Most of Malaysia’s wheat imports come from Australia, followed by Canada and the United States.
US Trade Gap Falls 15 Percent to $51.1 Billion in January
Capital Press– 03/27/2019
he U.S. trade deficit tumbled nearly 15 percent in January as imports fell and exports rose. Shipments of American goods to China skidded to the lowest level in more than eight years as the world’s two biggest economies remained locked in a trade war. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that the gap between the goods and services that the United States sells and what it buys from other countries dropped by 14.6 percent to $51.1 billion in January from $59.9 billion in December. Exports rose 0.9 percent to $207.3 billion, and imports dropped 2.6 percent to $258.5 billion. The deficit in the trade of goods with China narrowed by 6.4 percent to $34.5 billion. U.S. goods exports to China dropped 22.3 percent to $7.1 billion, lowest since September 2010; Chinese imports dropped 9.6 percent to $41.6 billion.
National Wheat Improvement Committee (NWIC) Holds Annual Washington Fly-In to Discuss Research Priorities for Wheat
NAWG – 03/27/2019
This week a group of researchers, growers, and millers took to Capitol Hill to discuss the importance of wheat research and appropriations priorities for FY 2020. The National Wheat Improvement Committee (NWIC) is composed of 24 voting members whose mission is to communicate, educate and advocate on behalf of the scientific well-being of the U.S. wheat industry. In addition to meeting with the majority and minority staffs for the House and Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees and Agriculture Committees, the NWIC members met with most of the House and Senate Appropriations Committee Member offices, with over 60 meetings in total.Body Text.
Old for New, Using Ancient Genetic Variation to Supercharge Wheat
Seed Today – 03/27/2019
A global, collaborative effort led by the Earlham Institute, UK and CIMMYT, Mexico sheds light on the genetic basis of biomass accumulation and efficiency in use of light, both of which are bottlenecks in yield improvement in wheat…The recent paper, “Elucidating the genetic basis of biomass accumulation and radiation use efficiency in spring wheat and its role in yield potential”, first-authored by Dr Ryan Joynson of EI’s Anthony Hall Groupand Dr Gemma Molero of Matthew Reynold’s team at CIMMYT, presents a valuable step forward for researchers interested in increasing wheat yield potential: a crucial task if we are to sustainably feed the planet. The research, funded through IWYP (International Wheat Yield Partnership) shines light on the role of radiation use efficiency (RUE, how sunlight is converted into plant mass) in increasing the yield potential of wheat: how we can increase plant biomass without sacrificing grain yield – a major challenge.
Source: U.S. Wheat Associates