Indonesias white sugar production could rise as much as 14 per cent in 2012 to 2.4 million tonnes, helped by good weather, but will miss a government target because of a lack of land to plant cane
Agriculture
FAO Food Price Index up 1.4 per cent in September
Following two months of stability, the FAO Food Price Index rose slightly in September 2012, up 1.4 per cent, or 3 points, from its level in August
DNA sequencing to create new rice variety with greater health benefits
DNA techniques are being used to analyse genes in rice in pioneering research which aims to develop a new variety of the grain with greater health benefits
Global grain production at record high despite extreme climatic events
Global grain production is expected to reach a record high of 2.4bn tonnes in 2012, an increase of one per cent from 2011 levels, according to new research conducted by the Worldwatch Institutes Nourishing the Planet project
Thai smallholders show support for sustainable palm oil production
A group of independent smallholders from Thailand are leading the way in sustainable palm oil production by becoming the first in the world to sign up to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)