A diplomatic dispute between Canada and Saudi Arabia has halted wheat and barley shipments to the middle eastern country.  Photo: Thinkstock

Saudi Arabian agency stops buying Canadian wheat, barley

Hamburg | Reuters – Saudi Arabia’s main state wheat buying agency has told grains exporters it will no longer buy Canadian wheat and barley in its international tenders, European traders said on Tuesday, as a diplomatic dispute between the two countries escalates. Traders said they had received an official notice from the Saudi Grains Organization […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Saudi Arabia boosts stake in G3 Canada

Winnipeg | Reuters — Saudi Arabia’s agriculture company has taken control of the majority investor in grain handler G3 Canada Ltd., according to a filing, reducing Bunge Ltd.’s stake and strengthening the kingdom’s efforts to secure food supplies. G3 Global Holdings, the joint venture of U.S. agribusiness Bunge and Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co. […] Read more


(Dave Bedard photo)

CPP reported in talks for stake in Glencore agribusiness

Reuters — Commodity trading and mining firm Glencore is in advanced talks to sell a stake in its agricultural business to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The CPPIB would take a stake of up to 40 per cent, valuing the business at […] Read more

(MasseyFerguson.us)

Saudi dairy firm buying California land for fodder

Reuters –– Saudi Arabia’s Almarai, the largest dairy company in the Gulf, has spent C$45 million to buy land in California to supply its business with alfalfa hay, it said Sunday. The 1,790 acres of land at Blythe — in the state’s southeast corner, about 200 km east of Palm Springs — was acquired through […] Read more



(Stephen Ausmus photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Saudi Arabia bans Ont. poultry, egg products

Reuters — Saudi Arabia, the world’s second-largest importer of chicken broiler meat, has banned imports of poultry meat and egg products from Ontario due to the presence of avian flu on three Ontario farms. The market was worth about $825,000 in 2014, representing 0.4 per cent of Ontario’s poultry exports, said Patrick Girard, spokesman for […] Read more

G3’s Karl Gerrand, CWB CEO Ian White, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and CWB chief strategy officer Dayna Spiring (from left) announce G3’s $250 million plan to take a majority stake in CWB. (Dave Bedard photo)

Bunge, Saudi Arabia to buy control of CWB

Agribusiness giant Bunge and the Saudi Arabian government’s ag investment arm are the joint “successful acquirer” of the former Canadian Wheat Board. Bunge Canada and SALIC Canada, an arm of the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co., on Wednesday announced their new Winnipeg-based joint venture, G3 Global Grain Group, will pay $250 million to CWB […] Read more


UN team investigates Saudi surge in deadly MERS virus

London | Reuters –– An international team of United Nations human and animal health experts has flown to Saudi Arabia to investigate a recent surge in cases of a deadly virus causing Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Speaking from Riyadh on Friday, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization-led team said it was worried by […] Read more