Paraguayan exporters are struggling to ship soyabeans due to low water levels in sections of the Paraná and Paraguay rivers, says Juan Carlos Munoz, head of Paraguay’s maritime and shipping chamber CAFyM.

A cross-continent trade transaction of wheat from North America to Southeast Asia was completed within a few days by global agricultural supply chain partners using a blockchain platform, World Grain reported on 15 April.

The government of Romania has suspended most exports of grains, oilseeds and related products to markets outside of the EU, according to a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) report on 16 April.

European ethanol producers are calling on the European Commission (EC) to address challenges that have arisen from shifting market conditions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Global soyabean output as forecast by the International Grain Council (IGC) is expected to reach a record high in 2020/21, the Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP) reported on 14 April.

A partnership between Hammonia OleoChemicals (HOC) and Spain’s Industrial Química Lasem (IQL) has been expanded in Germany, Hamburg-based HOC announced on 4 April.

China’s total soyabean imports in March 2020 dropped 13% year-on-year to the lowest level for the month since 2013, AgriCensus reported on 14 April.

Canola production in Australia is expected to rebound in 2020-21 after several years of below average output due to drought, according to a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) report on 6 April.

Plans to step up the use of 20% palm oil in biodiesel in Malaysia have been delayed due to curbs on movement imposed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, Today reported on 16 April.

China’s state-owned grain stockpiler Sinograin has released 500,000 tonnes of national soyabean reserves to COFCO amid low stock levels and weak imports in March, trade sources told Agricensus on 7 April.

Biodiesel consumption in the EU could fall by 2M tonnes this year as drivers stay home due to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) travel restrictions, FO Licht said in a 3 April report.

Turkey’s palm oil imports this year will drop by around 10% to around 690,000M tonnes due to weaker demand from the hotel, retail and catering (HoReCa) sector, according to forecasts by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC).

Transport restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus had caused serious disruption to the flow of trade, according to a report by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC).