International Farm News, Friday August 26, 2016

China’s Zika Rules Raise Fears for U.S. Exporters

China’s recent move to add the U.S. to a list of Zika-infected countries is worrying U.S. exporters. Pro Farmer’s First Thing Today reports U.S. exporters fear they will be required to fumigate all containers destined for China, costing an estimated $100 to $200 per container. Exporters who ship everything from agriculture products and chemicals to engine parts say they fear that conflicting information from Chinese customs officials about the new requirements could result in delays and lost business. Small and medium exporters say they stand to be hurt the most from any supply-chain disruptions. American exporters ship about 5.1 million containers, worth about $255 billion a year to China, according to the Agriculture Transportation Coalition.

Algeria Returns to U.S. Corn

U.S. corn sales to Algeria are making a strong showing in 2016, doubling 2014-15 marketing year imports. A U.S. Department of Agriculture' export sales report showed 527,000 metric tons—20.7 million bushels—of U.S. corn being exported to Algeria in the 2015-16 marketing year, more than double the sales from the last marketing year of 238,000 metric tons. The U.S. Grains Council says while Algeria is a relatively small market in terms of total U.S. corn exports, Algeria and its neighbors in North Africa show potential for growth that the Council is seeking to capture through marketeting. Among the Council’s coming programs are procurement courses for Algerian buyers of U.S. corn, and a workshop to continue to provide traders with the latest data on the U.S. corn crop and pricing.

Source;  NAFB News