BASF and Syngenta are among companies that have submitted preliminary bids for assets that Bayer plans to sell in order to get regulatory approval for its $66 billion takeover of seeds giant Monsanto, according to people familiar with the matter.
While China’s agricultural output has surged along with its robust economic growth, state-run stockpiles are overwhelming demand and prompting the government to reevaluate costly buying programs intended to bolster food security.
Zambia, the only southern African country to produce a corn surplus last year, may run out of storage space if a ban on exporting the grain isn’t lifted, according to local traders.
The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe, which represents the country’s major milling companies, said it wants the government to impose a 40 percent of tariffs on imports of corn and corn meal because its struggling to compete with cheaper South African corn grown from genetically modified seeds.
