A considerable fall in Ukraine’s sunflowerseed area this spring, along with lower yields due to a lack of inputs such as fertiliser, will result in a crop harvest of around 10M tonnes for the 2022/23 season, UkrAgroConsult’s ‘Black Sea Grain – Conflicting Supply and Demand’ webinar heard on 6 April.

Global olive oil consumption has exceeded production during the last three crop years, according to new International Olive Council (IOC) data reported by Olive Oil Times on 23 March.

The Russian government has introduced quotas for sunflower oil and meal exports and temporarily banned exports of sunflower​seed and rapeseed in a bid to protect the domestic market and meet the needs of processors, AgriCensus reported from local media on 31 March.

Swedish fluid handling, centrifugal and heat transfer company Alfa Laval has signed an agreement to acquire edible oil and biofuel processing specialist Desmet, part of the Desmet Ballestra Group, the companies announced.

The global supply chain is expected to be further disrupted due to COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions imposed by Chinese authorities as the country faces its worst outbreak of the virus since early 2020, Ship Lilly reported.

Record prices for oil and energy are threatening the future of UK fish and chip shops with up to half expected to go out of business, according to industry sources quoted in a Daily Mail report.

International hacking collective Anonymous has hacked Swiss food and drink giant Nestlé and told other companies still operating in Russia to pull out, Security Affairs reported on 22 March.

Leading biotechnology company Novozymes has announced it is developing a degumming centre of excellence in Latin America.

A new study by environmental lobby groups has called for the European Union (EU) to halt the use of edible feedstocks in biofuel production which it claims is contributing to global food insecurity following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, AgriCensus reported on 24 March.

The outlook for Ukrainian exports is dependent on cross-border logistics in the European Union (EU), according to an AgriCensus report on 22 March.

Rising crude oil prices due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine are driving up ocean freight rates and US barge prices, according to data by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported by World Grain on 18 March.

Soyabean imports in China are forecast to hit a record 100M tonnes in 2022/23 due to increased feed demand and high prices of protein-rich substitutes, according to data by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported by AgriCensus on 18 March.

US refiner Marathon Petroleum Corporation (Marathon) and leading renewable diesel producer Neste have entered a 50/50 joint venture to produce renewable diesel, the companies announced.