The Indonesian government has rejected proposals made by the country’s leading forestry university to reclassify oil palm estates as forests, Mongabay reported on 10 February.

Canadian bioplastics company TerraVerdae Bioworks has announced it is set to acquire thermoplastic elastomer developer PolyFerm Canada, Globe Newswire reported.

The soyabean harvests in Argentina and Brazil are expected to be larger this year but poor growing conditions will dampen the prospect of a bumper crop, according to a report by Germany’s Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP).

The crushing industry in Paraguay has dropped to its lowest level since 2013, AgriCensus reported the country’s oilseed crushing chamber Cappro as saying.

The Indian government has cut the effective duty on crude palm oil (CPO) imports from 8.25% to 5.5% in a bid to control cooking oil prices and support domestic processing companies, Live Mint newspaper wrote.

US engineering conglomerate Honeywell has introduced new technology to produce naphtha from sustainable feedstocks such as used cooking oil (UCO) and animal fats, the company announced.

German chemical giant Bayer has re-applied to plant its genetically-modified (GM) cotton seeds in India, Krishi Jagran magazine reported government sources as saying.

The new European Union (EU) deforestation-free proposal will need to be adapted to the different supply chain models of a range of commodities, EU trade associations representing the grain, oilseeds, crushing and animal feed sectors have said.

Swiss speciality chemicals company Clariant has announced the launch of a range of 100% bio-based surfactants and polyethylene glycols (PEGs).

Plant-based meat alternatives could account for 6% of total meat consumption by 2030 if the sector continues to expand at the current rate, according to analysis by the Good Food Institute reported by World Grain on 7 February.

German chemical giant Bayer has said production of its glyphosate –based weedkiller may be reduced in the short term due to one of its ingredient suppliers running into technical problems, Reuters reported on 14 February.

Speciality chemicals company Clariant has agreed to sell its 50% stake in the joint venture which owns “green” ethylene producer Scientific Design Company (Scientific Design) to SABIC, Clariant announced.

The world food price gauge – the FAO Food Price Index – rose in January mainly due to vegetable oil supply constraints, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reported.