Kazakhstan may become the first Central Asian country to join the board of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The Senate ratified amendments to the Chicago Convention, which provides for the expansion of the organization’s council.
Problems with the quality of Argentine sunflower imported to the Black Sea countries this spring are changing the balance on the market of the region in a paradoxical way. On the one hand, there is nominally more raw material. On the other hand, the actual supply of sunflower suitable for processing into food and fodder has not increased in the regional market. Obviously, such a contradiction between expectation and reality in the very near future will be reflected in the regional sunflower prices.
Trade in wheat of the new harvest has revived on the Ukrainian market. Some farmers and agricultural holdings have started to enter into forward contracts more actively, using current grain prices to fix future sales. At the same time, forward market prices are already higher than spot market prices, which is uncommon.
Team Europe’s initiative “Sustainable Agrifood Systems” announced a competition for funding of associations of agricultural producers in Moldova. The total budget of the grant line is 250 thousand euros, the maximum grant size is 50 thousand euros. Five groups of farmers will receive funding. The deadline for submission of applications is April 6, 2026.
World trade in wheat flour will fall to a four-year low in the 2025/26 marketing year. This forecast was issued by the International Grains Council (IGC). According to the organization’s estimates, trade volumes will be about 16 million tons (in terms of wheat), which is 3% less than last year. Sales are falling for the second season in a row.
Increase in tariffs for road transportation services is becoming a key factor in trade in agricultural products. The increase in diesel and gasoline prices by an average of 30% over the last two weeks has almost led to a situation where the sale of agricultural commodities becomes unprofitable due to high transportation costs.
In 2025, Brazil recorded the highest agricultural production in history and consolidated its position as one of the world’s leading powers in food production. This is according to the latest data from the Brazilian State Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
Spot prices for granulated urea in key FOB markets exceeded $700/t on the back of blocking most supplies from the Middle East, which limits available supply in the global market.
By the end of the current week gold in bullion was sold at about $4685 per ounce. That is, the price fell by about 7% during the week. The sharp rise in oil, natural gas and fuel prices caused by the conflict in the Middle East increases inflationary concerns and makes it less likely that central banks will reduce the cost of borrowing. This has a negative impact on gold as it does not earn interest income.
American billionaire Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, is seeking funds for the development of a startup Project Prometheus, which aims to use artificial intelligence in various areas of production to improve the efficiency of specialized industries.
The US authorities temporarily allowed the purchase of Iranian oil loaded on tankers earlier than March 20. The relaxation of sanctions will last 30 days. It will allow about 140 million barrels to be brought to the market. The goal is to bring prices down below $100 per barrel.
The $80 billion global diamond industry is experiencing one of the most serious crises in history. Demand is declining, both rough and treated stones are becoming cheaper, and market participants have less and less faith in a quick recovery.
“The supply shocks underscore the risk that oil prices could stay above $100 longer in risky scenarios with longer disruptions and greater sustained supply losses,” Goldman Sachs analysts said.
The attacks on Iran increased the wholesale price of flour-grade wheat from the Black Sea region by about $6/t.
Iran has attacked the Diego Garcia base, owned by the US and UK, in the Indian Ocean with two medium-range ballistic missiles. This is the first case of such a threat to US interests outside the Middle East – 4,000 kilometers from Iran.
For the second year in a row, Kernel Agroholding has maintained absolute leadership in the country’s two key export categories – cereals and sunflower oil – and holds the first position in the overall ranking. In the structure of Ukraine’s exports, every tenth dollar is Kernel’s contribution.
In Bulgaria, exceeding of permissible pesticide norms was detected in a consignment of Argentine sunflower delivered by the third ship. According to laboratory tests, the level of deltamethrin in the samples is twice as high as the established norms. The samples were taken by inspectors of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) in the presence of local agricultural producers.
In February 2026, the Moldovan grain market saw an increase in wheat export supplies. Last month, compared to the previous month, the volume of external wheat supplies almost doubled – from 40.4 thousand tons to 72.2 thousand tons. Apparently, farmers sold off their stocks to replenish working capital on the eve of the spring field work campaign.
The proclamation of the agri-food sector as a national priority and the allocation of at least 15% of the state budget of the Republic of Moldova for its development is the first point of the resolution of the Association “Moldova Fruct”, adopted at the jubilee (20th since its creation) annual general meeting of the organization’s members.
Kazakh grain supplies resumed after a two-week break since the beginning of the war in the Middle East. This week Ak Bidai Terminal in Aktau started transshipment of grain to Iran.
