Governments issue orders to test or suspend imports As Japan reports radioactive contamination of plant and animal foodstocks in the prefectures nearest the still-to-be-contained nuclear reactors at Fukushima Daiichi, countries around the world are moving to block...
Japan Fall-out
Radiation fears cause shortages of iodine, drive demand for seaweed While the struggle to stabilize the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plants goes on, reports are coming in from Brooklyn – more than 6,600 miles away from the threat of radiation release – that upscale...
Floor Fight
Some US companies are siding with China in this USITC antidumping case The US International Trade Commission (USITC) is nearing preliminary determinations in its antidumping and countervailing duty investigations into multilayered wood flooring from China, the Wall...
Japan Aftermath
The disaster reminds us of shared vulnerabilities and a need to know what’s going on The world’s third largest economy has been devastated by catastrophe upon catastrophe. Clearly, the repercussions in the global marketplace will be far-reaching, long-lasting and...
Weed Killer App
Glyphosate, the world’s herbicide of choice, may be a victim of its popularity While debate continues over the pros and cons of planting sugar beets genetically modified to be “Roundup Ready” [see A Time to Plant, a Time to Sue], it appears that nature has done some...
An End to the 16-Year Banana War?
Pending trade deal gives an edge to Latin America in the EU Well-intentioned it may have been, but the EU’s 1993 decision to slap tariffs on bananas from Latin America while allowing bananas from African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries to enter its markets...
Santa Snagged by Red Tape
Customs problems could prevent traditional, down-the-chimney deliveries by Peter Quinter, guest columnist Well, I just wanted to let you all know that Santa may not be coming this year to deliver all those wonderful holiday gifts. Because of incorrect Incoterms and...
Free Report: Fresh Grapes from Peru
Datamyne Tops in Trade Report covers a leading source for U.S. wintertime grapes As the U.S. moves into winter, imports of grapes and other fresh fruits shift into high gear. As noted in Fresh from the Southern Hemisphere, most U.S. imported fresh grapes come from...
Fresh from the Southern Hemisphere
South America starts shipping grapes to the winter-bound north The season has just begun, but forecasters are projecting a bumper crop of fruit exports from South America, led by grapes. Grapes are the second-ranked (by value) fruit import in the U.S. (Bananas top the...
From Few to Many
Approximately 80% of world potash is traded across borders Every farmer needs it, but there are few producers of potash, one of the three essential components of fertilizer (the other two are nitrogen and phosphate). According to Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc.,...



