The US Senate has introduced a bill to ban Russian oil while increasing the use of ethanol, biodiesel and other biofuels following the Putin-led regime’s invasion of Ukraine, Biomass magazine reported.

Swiss food and drink giant Nestlé is increasing its plant-based portfolio in a partnership with Dutch food and bio-chemicals company Corbion, Bio Market Insights wrote.

The Ukrainian planting season is expected to be heavily impacted by the ongoing Russian invasion of the country, AgriCensus wrote.

Leading UK supermarket chain Tesco has introduced a trial using a lipid-based edible coating for fruit in its stores in a bid to extend shelf life and reduce food waste, the company said.

German chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer has announced it has agreed to sell its pest control unit to UK private equity firm Cinven.

Spanish energy company Repsol has started building a plant for the production of advanced biofuels including hydro-treated vegetable oil (HVO) at its refinery in Cartagena, Spain, the company announced on 7 March.

The Argentine government has lifted a temporary block on exports of soyabean oil and soyabean meal to create a wheat stabilisation fund against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Biofuels Digest wrote on 21 March.

Swiss fluid engineering company Sulzer Chemtech (Sulzer) has announced it will be supplying technology for Vandelay Ventures’ new renewable energy complex in Malaysia.

Jatropha company JOil has announced it has been awarded Gold Standard sustainability certification for its japtropha plantation in Ghana.

The head of leading Ukrainian food producer MHP has said that the failure of its operations would have a “catastrophic” impact on the country’s population, BBC News reported on 14 March.

Uncertainty over Black Sea exports due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a 47% rise in prices for Argentine sunflower oil in less than two weeks following the start of the conflict, The Hindu Business Line quoted from a report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

European fertiliser producers are cutting output due to the surging cost of natural gas – the feedstock of nitrogen fertilisers – following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, adding to the risk of global food inflation, Luxembourg Times quoted from a Bloomberg report.

Japanese chemical company Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC) and its subsidiary Mitsubishi Chemical Methacrylates (MCM) have announced they are designing a pilot plant to produce methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomers from plant-derived materials.