The business of farming: trade, exports and imports, farm credit and investment, processing, start-ups, and government agricultural policy and budgets.
AgribusinessMuch of a crop's fate is settled before sowing, by the seed itself. Choosing good seed, treating it, storing it dry and cool, testing germination and soaking it before sowing, along with dressing, coating and pelleting: the low-cost routine that lifts yields.
AgribusinessA 50 kg sack of urea costs farmers Tk 1,350 at home but sells for about Tk 9,000 in Myanmar; the Coast Guard seized 255 tonnes of fertiliser between July and 25 September.
CropsAbout 47 hectares of sugarcane were planted in Sharsha, Jashore, this season, mostly in Putkhali near Benapole, where farmers say a bigha costing Tk 30,000 to 40,000 can earn Tk 1.5 to 2 lakh.
CropsJute yields and fibre quality are both good in Naogaon this year, and at Manda's Sotihat market a maund sells for Tk 3,800 to 4,500 depending on quality and variety.
CropsIn Kaunia, Rangpur, the jute sticks from 24 decimals of land fetch Tk 10,000-15,000, and demand from charcoal and particle-board factories is making up for the early-season fall in jute prices.
FisheriesAt a WorldFish workshop in Kampong Thom, officials, farmers and conservation groups from Cambodia's 3S river basins weighed five aquatic food business models and saw farmers feed invasive golden apple snails to prawns.
AgribusinessFine rice rose by Tk 2 a kg in a week in Dhaka's retail markets and loose soybean and palm oil also went up, while local onion, garlic and broiler chicken fell; vegetables and fish stay dear.
AgribusinessWith on-highway diesel at a national average of $6.38 a gallon and farm diesel near $6 in the Corn Belt, the American Farm Bureau Federation wants the federal highway diesel tax suspended during harvest.
LivestockBetter grazing and cheaper maize are helping South African farmers rebuild cattle and sheep herds, which keeps red meat prices up, while recovering pork and poultry output is pushing those prices down, Absa's spring outlook finds.
CropsStoneX expects corn to supply a third of Brazil's ethanol by 2027/28, and Inpasa, the world's second-largest producer, turns second-crop corn into fuel, cattle feed and oil for other biofuels.
The Crop Care Federation of India says extra exclusivity for agrochemical data would delay cheaper generic pesticides, because patented molecules already reach India late.
AgribusinessThe Indian plant-nutrition company commissioned a 6,000-tonne facility at Sayakha, grew its depot network to 30 and says it reached 54,948 farmers through awareness meetings during the year.
CropsFarmers from the Chalan Beel area bring jute by boat, van and truck to Chatmohar's weekly markets, where fibre length and colour set the price; lower prices and demand than before are cutting cultivation.
The cabinet purchase committee approved six proposals to buy 110,000 tonnes of urea from KAFCO, Saudi Arabia and the UAE and 80,000 tonnes of DAP and 70,000 tonnes of TSP from Morocco.
