ARTICLE 5

NAPERVILLE, Illinois, April 13 – After weathering the worst downturn in over a year, bullish investors in the corn market are finally seeing a payoff. Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) corn futures surged 6.5% last week, marking the strongest five-day rally since late 2023.

Uzbekistan is facing an alarming surge in onion prices, with market rates rising as much as tenfold compared to the same period in 2024. The dramatic price increase is being largely attributed to a significant reduction in cultivated land allocated for onions, combined with supply chain disruptions and unfavorable weather conditions.

Angola has emerged as the top African country with the highest trade surplus with India, currently standing at USD 3.12 billion, driven primarily by India’s substantial crude oil imports from the southern African nation. With this growing trade relationship, experts and policymakers are now urging strategic Indian investments in key sectors of Angola’s economy to enhance trade equity, strengthen bilateral ties, and secure long-term supply chains.

South Africa’s avocado industry is undergoing a remarkable transformation, with the traditionally subtropical fruit now thriving in the temperate southern regions. The town of George, located in the scenic Garden Route of the Western Cape, is fast becoming a major hotspot for avocado cultivation.

Sweden's cherished tradition of fika—a social coffee break often accompanied by pastries—is facing challenges due to a significant surge in coffee prices. Over the past year, coffee prices in Sweden have increased by up to 40%, impacting both consumers and the café culture integral to Swedish society.

India is actively exploring export opportunities arising from the recent U.S.-China trade tensions. The U.S. has imposed significant tariffs on Chinese goods, creating a potential market gap that Indian exporters aim to fill.

India’s cashew exports saw a modest 8% increase in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, buoyed by a sharp rise in European Union (EU) imports. The surge in demand from the EU has provided a welcome boost to Indian exporters amid evolving global trade dynamics.

Wheat prices have started to decline across India’s Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) yards, as new crop arrivals pick up momentum and production estimates point to a bumper harvest. Traders and industry insiders attribute the softening trend to higher-than-expected output and improved crop quality, easing earlier concerns about adverse weather impacts.

Vietnam’s rice industry is at a crossroads, weighing the need to expand exports against concerns of insufficient domestic supply. At the seminar “Positioning Vietnamese Rice in the New Era,” organized by the Vietnam Food Association (VFA), Chairman Do Ha Nam highlighted that rice exports surged to over 9.18 million tons in 2024, up from 7.5 million tons in 2022, generating $5.7 billion in revenue. The first quarter of 2025 already saw 2.25 million tons exported — a 2% year-on-year increase.

The recent imposition of tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump on major cocoa-producing countries is poised to disrupt the global chocolate industry, potentially giving European chocolatiers a competitive advantage over their U.S. counterparts.

This crisis highlights a broader tension in Brazil between economic expansion, especially in agribusiness, and the protection of Indigenous rights and the Amazon ecosystem. While Brazil remains the world's largest soybean exporter, events like this serve as a stark reminder that supply chains are vulnerable to social and environmental flashpoints.

As the global coffee industry grapples with the growing impact of climate change, scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, are at the forefront of research aimed at safeguarding the future of one of the world’s most beloved beverages. Their focus: developing climate-resilient, drought-tolerant coffee varieties to replace vulnerable strains such as arabica and robusta.