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A general view of damage at the site of Tuesday’s blast in Beirut’s port area on Aug. 5, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Mohamed Azakir)
Crops, Markets

Kuwait to rebuild Beirut port grain silo after blast

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Beirut | Reuters — Kuwait said it will rebuild Lebanon’s only large grain silo that was destroyed by the massive Beirut port explosion, raising fears of food shortages in a country already in financial meltdown. The destruction of the 120,000-tonne capacity structure at the port, the main entry point for food imports, meant buyers must […] Read more
A general view of damage at the site of Tuesday’s blast in Beirut’s port area on Aug. 5, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Mohamed Azakir)
Crops

North American ammonium nitrate laws best in world, Nutrien CEO says

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Winnipeg | Reuters — North America’s regulations for handling ammonium nitrate, a potentially explosive product used in fertilizer and in the mining industry, are the strictest in the world, the CEO of Canadian fertilizer producer Nutrien said Tuesday. An ammonium nitrate stockpile exploded last week in Beirut killing at least 171 people, injuring 6,000 and […] Read more
Smoke rises from the site of an explosion in Beirut’s port area on Aug. 4, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Mohamed Azakir)
Crops

Who owned the chemicals that blew up Beirut? No one will say

The fertilizer's Georgian producer has since been dissolved; the ship that brought it to Lebanon sank in 2018

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Moscow/Dubai/London | Reuters — In the murky story of how a cache of highly explosive ammonium nitrate ended up on the Beirut waterfront, one thing is clear — no one has ever publicly come forward to claim it. There are many unanswered questions surrounding last week’s huge, deadly blast in the Lebanese capital, but ownership […] Read more
A general view of damage at the site of Tuesday’s blast in Beirut’s port area on Aug. 5, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Mohamed Azakir)
Crops

Missing Beirut silo worker’s family clings to hope

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Beirut | Reuters — Before he went missing on Aug. 4, Ghassan Hasrouty, an employee of Beirut’s giant grain silos for 38 years, thought he was working in the safest place in the city. The reinforced concrete walls and underground rooms were his shelter for many days during Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war. He used to […] Read more
A general view of damage at the site of Tuesday’s blast in Beirut’s port area on Aug. 5, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Mohamed Azakir)
Crops

After blast, Lebanon has less than a month’s grain reserves

Beirut port silos had capacity for 120,000 tonnes; about 15,000 tonnes were stored at time of blast

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Beirut/Dubai | Reuters — Lebanon’s main grain silo at Beirut port was destroyed in a blast, leaving the nation with less than a month’s reserves of the grain but enough flour to avoid a crisis, the economy minister said on Wednesday. Raoul Nehme told Reuters a day after Tuesday’s devastating explosion that Lebanon needed reserves […] Read more
Smoke rises from the site of an explosion in Beirut’s port area on Aug. 4, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Mohamed Azakir)
Crops

Wheat in Beirut’s port granaries not usable

Lebanon will import wheat, economy minister says

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Cairo | Reuters — Lebanon’s economy minister, Raoul Nehme, told local media on Tuesday that the wheat in Beirut’s port granaries cannot be used and that the ministry lost track of seven employees in the granaries. The minister also told local media that Lebanon will import wheat and added that the country currently has enough […] Read more
(File photo by Dave Bedard)
Livestock, Markets

Cargill suspends shifts at Kansas beef plant after explosion

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Chicago | Reuters — Cargill said Thursday it had suspended some shifts at its Dodge City, Kansas beef-packing plant after an explosion injured two employees. Cargill spokesman Daniel Sullivan said the company expects the facility to be fully operational soon and that it would meet all it customer commitments. The company is investigating the cause […] Read more
Crops

Local planning faulted in Texas fertilizer site explosion

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Reuters — An explosion at a Texas fertilizer storage facility in 2013 that killed 15 people likely happened because the owner of the site kept combustible material near a 30-ton pile of ammonium nitrate, according to a report released by the federal Chemical Safety Board on Monday. The April 17, 2013 blast was especially deadly […] Read more

Louis Dreyfus plant may resume canola crushing in 3-7 weeks

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Winnipeg / Reuters – Louis Dreyfus Corp’s Canadian canola plant may resume receiving and crushing the oilseed in three to seven weeks, following last week’s explosion and fire, the president of the company’s Canadian unit said on Friday. Brant Randles, president of Louis Dreyfus Commodities Canada Ltd, said the company is working with contractors and engineers on a […] Read more

Cyber-Savvy Farmer

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