News about agriculture

The SYNAP-CI farmers' union, led by Koné Moussa, continues an unlimited cocoa strike that it says began on 16 September, after the government set the 2026-27 main-crop farm-gate price at 1,200 FCFA (US$2.06) a kilogram, about 57% below the previous season's 2,800 FCFA. At a rally in Daloa, producers pledged to keep striking until five demands are met, including replacing the head of the Conseil du Café-Cacao and guaranteeing producers 60% of the CAF export price. The union also seeks a solution for unsold cocoa and a stakeholder seminar. The article notes that no response from the government or the regulator had been reported.

Global food inflation is expected to accelerate in coming months and persist into 2027, as war-related shipping disruptions and El Niño drought squeeze cereal supplies. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 136 points in September, its highest since November 2022. According to the World Bank, food prices outpaced headline inflation in 22% of the 150 countries it analysed in the September quarter, up from 14% previously. Wheat prices have risen more than 30% in 2026 and freight rates about 50% on key routes, while importers returning to the market could spark a new wave of demand. Rising prices heighten the risk of social unrest and could prompt exporters to impose trade bans, worsening shortages.

Farmers have urged UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to fully scrap the inheritance tax on farms introduced under Sir Keir Starmer's government, warning it threatens family farms. The threshold was raised to £2.5 million (£5 million for married couples) after a backlash, but farmers say tax bills can force families to sell land and make farms unviable. Sandy Wade-Gery, 76, whose Bedfordshire farm has been in his family since 1536, fears his son may be the last to keep it unless the tax is abolished. The Countryside Alliance and NFU also oppose the tax, while the Conservatives and Reform UK have pledged to reverse the changes if they win the next election. Further changes are speculated for next week's budget as Mr Burnham seeks to repair ties with farmers.

Farmers have urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to scrap the inheritance tax on family farms in the upcoming budget, saying the policy often forces families to sell land to pay the bill. The threshold was raised from £1 million to £2.5 million (£5 million for married couples) after a backlash, but farmers say that is not enough. Sandy Wade-Gery, whose Bedfordshire farm has been in his family since 1536, warned that his son could be the last William at the farm. The Conservatives and Reform UK have vowed to reverse the changes if they win the next general election, while the NFU opposes the changes and the Countryside Alliance calls for the tax to be scrapped entirely. There is speculation that further changes could be announced in next week's budget as Burnham seeks to mend ties with farmers.

State-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) have excluded ethanol made from sugarcane juice, sugar syrup and B-heavy molasses from their tender for the 2026-27 supply year, seeking to preserve domestic sugar supplies amid poor rainfall in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The tender, issued by BPCL on October 16, seeks about 11 billion litres of ethanol for November 2026 to October 2027 to support 20% ethanol blending in petrol. The procurement price for maize-based ethanol has been lowered to 68.86 rupees per litre from 71.86, and its incentive cut to 2.79 rupees from 5.79 rupees per litre. The shift is likely to raise the role of grain-based ethanol and C-heavy molasses, but the lower maize incentive could affect producer returns.

The article points to Brazil's Marajó island, which has about half a million buffalo and 440,000 people, as evidence that buffalo can thrive where conventional livestock struggle. On October 8 in Nairobi, President William Ruto suggested Kenya could milk buffalo to address a dairy shortage tied to drought, declining pastures and high feed costs, starting small as a supplement to the national dairy herd. The author says online mockery confused this with wild Cape buffalo, whereas domesticated water buffalo has been milked for thousands of years. He notes that Kenya declared water buffalo a food animal under the Meat Control Act last January and endorsed a 2018 trade protocol with Brazil. He also cites India's 247.87 million tonnes of 2024-25 milk output, about 43 percent from buffalo, and argues the idea should be judged on economics, biology and productivity rather than familiarity.