World Farming Agriculture and Commodity news -30th March 2026

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Climate change is reshaping arabica coffee production, with rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns redefining what areas are ideal for cultivation. Today, 8% of current growing areas are classified as unsuitable for arabica production, and projections indicate that share could rise to 20% by 2050. While some regions could face mounting risks, others could see gains. Among the top exporters, Ethiopia may benefit, with suitable zones expanding and highly suitable areas tripling. Brazil may see shifts but will still retain a considerable area under suitable conditions. Meanwhile, Colombia could face declining suitability and Honduras the steepest drop, with suitable zones shrinking to just 12% of current production area.

Some of these changes could threaten flavor consistency and origin branding, pushing importers and roasters to diversify their sourcing and invest in adaptation. At the farm level, producers are increasingly implementing irrigation, good agronomic practices, agroforestry, and improved varieties. But collaboration and transparency across the value chain will be critical to maintain supply, quality, brand integrity, and ultimately industry resilience. The next decade will be decisive. Whether coffee supply chains can remain resilient in the face of climate change will depend on the choices made today by producers, buyers, and investors alike.

France has implemented a series of emergency measures to support farmers facing surging fuel and fertiliser prices resulting from the US-Israeli war on Iran, citing the farm ministry on Tuesday. Farmers have seen their costs increase sharply with higher prices for diesel, gas, and fertilisers threatening some farms' financial stability and food production. Immediate actions include delayed payment of social contributions and flexible tax deadlines for farms upon request. State-backed, short-term loans from public investment bank Bpifrance are now available to farms most affected by fuel price hikes. The government is also working with banks and distributors to find solutions for businesses facing cash flow problems. France has been pushing at the level of the European Union to exclude fertilisers from the carbon border levy, which came into force on January 1, to ease costs for farmers. The disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz due to the conflict severely affected the global fertiliser and oil trade, contributing to price spikes and production challenges. The government took similar steps for the road, air and sea transport sectors on Monday.

Brazilian meatpackers are split on the impact of the Middle East war, with MBRF viewing rising demand favorably while Minerva warned prolonged conflict could hurt margins despite both companies maintaining shipments to the region,.Brazil is the world's largest beef exporter and top chicken meat exporter. The Middle East accounts for about 14% of Minerva's revenue and 7% of MBRF's revenue. MBRF CEO Miguel Gularte said demand and prices were already rising before the war and accelerated as buyers rushed to secure supplies, with freight surcharges absorbed by the market.

The company maintained flows by using inventories positioned in destination countries and redirecting cargoes to open ports after the Strait of Hormuz closure, Gularte said. Minerva CFO Edison Ticle warned higher freight, diesel and energy costs could leave 2026 margins below last year's levels, though the first-quarter impact was limited by long-term freight contracts. Agriculture ministry official Luis Rua said on Tuesday demand for Brazilian exports could rise further as the conflict hits Middle East output and prompts countries to build precautionary stocks.

World Farming Agriculture and Commodity news -23 March 2026

Canada’s canola industry has welcomed the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) rule for biomass-based diesel.The EPA has set the blending mandate at 5.4 billion gallons for 2026 and 5.5 billion gallons for 2027 — representing a substantial 61% to 64% increase over the 2025 level of 3.35 billion gallons.The U.S. is the largest buyer of Canadian canola oil, and the Canola Council of Canada believes Canadian canola can make a meaningful contribution to meeting the increased feedstock demand. Canola Council president Chris Davison described the decision as creating an “appreciable opportunity” for Canadian canola crushers, who have significantly expanded their production capacity in recent years.The higher mandates are also positive news for the U.S. soybean sector, which relies heavily on the biodiesel and renewable diesel industry. The rule includes a 70% reallocation of retroactive small refinery exemption volumes back into the blending pool.However, from 2028 onward, the EPA plans to reduce credit generation for imported biofuels and feedstocks by half. The exact definition of “imported” is still unclear, and the Canola Council is awaiting the full regulatory text for clarity, particularly whether North America will be treated as a single zone.Overall, the robust new volumes are expected to provide much-needed certainty and growth for the North American biofuel industry after a difficult 2025 marked by plant shutdowns and reduced production.

NEXAT, a revolutionary German farm equipment system, is expected to generate significant attention in Canada over the next year.The system consists of a large carrier unit powered by two 550 hp diesel engines with electric drives. In just 10 to 20 minutes, the carrier can switch between different implements — including a seeder, fertiliser spreader, sprayer, cultivator, or a specially designed high-capacity combine.Key features include:

Controlled traffic farming, which dramatically reduces soil compaction by limiting tire tracks to a small percentage of the field.
A massive 220-foot sprayer boom and a seeder up to 90 feet wide with a 900-bushel on-board tank.
A combine with significantly higher capacity than conventional models, featuring a 908-bushel grain tank that unloads at 18 bushels per second.

Canada has been selected as one of the key markets for NEXAT’s development and introduction (partly due to U.S. tariffs). Three units were already tested last summer north of Moose Jaw, with a fourth on the way. NEXAT is partnering with Saskatchewan manufacturer K-Hart for seeding equipment.The company aims to make the system 10–15% cheaper than traditional equipment over time by using one central carrier instead of multiple machines with their own engines and drive systems. It is also designed for GPS/autonomous operation and offers sustainability benefits through reduced fuel use and soil compaction.While the technology appears well-suited to large, flat prairie fields, questions remain about its performance on hilly terrain and smaller farms. However, with farms continuing to grow larger and labour becoming harder to find, NEXAT could represent a major shift in large-scale grain farming equipment in the coming years.

Farmers are facing sharply higher fertiliser prices, but crop protection products are moving in the opposite direction, according to Rob McClinton, Head of North America for Fuhua Chemical, one of the world’s largest glyphosate manufacturers.McClinton told delegates at FBN’s Farmer2Farmer VII conference that almost all major crop protection active ingredients have come off patent in the last 15 years, with the last remaining patented products expected to expire by the end of the decade. This has led to intense competition and significantly lower prices at the farm gate.Examples include:

Prothioconazole (marketed as Proline by Bayer): Previously sold for nearly US$500 per gallon, it is now available for $190 per gallon through FBN.
Chlorantraniliprole: Only FMC produced it until recently; now 23 Chinese companies are manufacturing or preparing to produce it.

The crop protection industry is undergoing a major shake-up. Traditional big players like Corteva, BASF, Bayer, and FMC are struggling with earnings, restructuring their businesses, shifting toward biologicals and digital agriculture, and even considering asset sales or closures. Meanwhile, generic manufacturers — mostly in China — are flooding the market with capacity far exceeding global demand.McClinton noted that China now produces about 70% of the world’s active ingredients. In many cases, manufacturing capacity greatly exceeds demand (e.g., chlorantraniliprole capacity is 5.65 times global demand).While this oversupply is driving prices down and providing welcome relief for farmers on the crop protection side, it is also creating challenges: price volatility, daily price changes for commoditised products like glyphosate, and increasing difficulty in comparison shopping due to the large number of manufacturers and retailers.In short, while fertiliser costs continue to climb, many crop protection products are becoming significantly cheaper due to patent expirations and fierce generic competition — offering farmers some relief on one side of their input bill.

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