Global agribusiness giant Cargill has partnered with vertical farm company AeroFarms in a research project aimed at improving cocoa bean yields, Cargill announced on 12 August.

Global technology company ICM International has entered an agreement with energy firm Neomille to design a bio-refinery in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

Leading Canadian agribusiness Richardson International has acquired vegetable oil-based drilling fluids manufacturer Control Chemical Corporation.

India will allow the import of up 1.2M tonnes of genetically modified (GM) soyabean meal to meet a shortage in domestic feed for the livestock, poultry and aquaculture industries, AgriCensus reported on 24 August.

US energy giants Exxon Mobil and Chevron are looking for ways to produce renewable fuels at existing facilities to cut out the cost of costly upgrades, Reuters reported sources as saying on 12 August.

Sunflowerseed and rapeseed production in Bulgaria is expected to rise in the current marketing year due to good weather conditions, World Grain reported from a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) report on 11 August.

Forecasts for soyabean demand and imports in China have been reduced, AgriCensus reported on 12 August from China’s Agriculture Supply and Demand Estimates (Casde).

Danish shipping company AP Moller-Maersk says a shortage of used cooking oil (UCO) is affecting its efforts to become carbon neutral, Bloomberg reported on 6 August.

German chemical giant Bayer has lost a third appeal against a US court verdict that awarded damages to a couple who claimed its glyphosate-based weedkiller caused their cancer, Reuters reported on 10 August.

Canadian soyabean company Sevita International is building a new soyabean processing plant in Ontario, World Grain reported on 9 August.

A trade group representing some of the leading food companies in the USA is urging the Biden administration to roll back its biofuel ambitions, saying that using fuel from crops could raise the cost of baked goods, Reuters reported on 3 August.

US ingredient technology company Creo has completed its first commercial fermentation run of the cannabinoid compound, the company announced on 4 August.

Three leading palm oil companies have launched a sustainability initiative to help independent smallholders in Indonesia, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) announced on 4 August.