They still need to reach major compromises in areas such as automotive trade and investment protections, according to people close to the discussions. Rice prices will remain high and land that could be more profitably used for other crops will remain tied to rice. South Korea is afraid that boosting imports of beef and rice will hurt business for its farmers, though it would reduce food prices for a far greater number of its consumers. Bush said beef exports rose 50% last year as more...

In India, for example, GM cotton has increased yields by around 150 per cent, trebled small farmers' profits, and reduced pesticide volumes by 80 per cent. Anti-GM groups, however, argue that in many developing countries, GM crops are now grown mainly for export by big farmers, not for local consumption, and that there are big effects of this monoculture cropping. Ten years after the first GM crops were planted, evidence is mounting that the technology can increase crop yields with...

Given the declining budget baseline for farm programs, the subcommittee will have to work in a bipartisan manner if we want to further build upon the strong fundamental structure of that which is already in place. Get the latest industry news delivered right to your computer! A full transcript of the hearing will be posted on the Committee website in four to six weeks. The House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management held a hearing this week (28 March...

He said Ardisam will contract with regional farmers to grow about 30,000 acres of sunflowers and canola each year to supply the seeds needed to make the fuel. Schweitzer, who is Ardisam s biofuels operations manager, said some growers want to do both, excited that they can use their crops to break away from OPEC oil. Farmers are interested in growing crops for the fuel, which will be made from sunflower and canola oil, and people want to buy the finished product. He said the product would...

The UN Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a 2500-member strong group of scientists, in its fourth report issued in Paris recently, has presented overwhelming scientific consensus on greenhouse gas emissions and put the onus on these human-induced gases since the Industrial Revolution. The UN Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a 2500-member strong group of scientists, in its fourth report issued in Paris recently, has presented overwhelming scientific...