Russia considers extending price cuts on sugar, sunflower oil to curtail inflation

Russia plans to extend retail price cuts on sugar and sunflower oil and to scrap some import taxes as part of its ongoing efforts to tame food price inflation, the Russian government said in a statement.

The price cut agreements on sugar may be extended until June, with the sunflower oil cuts possibly being extended to October. The government is also considering eliminating taxes on imports of up to 350,000 MT of white sugar between May 15 and Aug. 31; currently, that tax stands at $340 per metric ton. Russia’s annual inflation spiked to 5.8% mid-March, which compares to a central bank target of 4.0%.

German, Polish, Czech governments to intensify wild boar hunting to combat ASF

The governments of Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic have agreed to allow more hunting of wild boars to combat African swine fever (ASF) in their wild boar populations.

A fence has also been built along the Polish border to prevent the spread, but more protection is needed “to eradicate this animal disease as fast as possible,” said German Agriculture Minister Julia Kloeckner.

Germany has confirmed 845 ASF cases in wild boar near the border with Poland but so far it has been able to keep the disease out of its hog farms.

Chinese pork prices still trending down

Chinese pork prices dropped an average of 1.1% to 34.44 yuan ($5.30) per kilogram from March 15 to March 19, according to a pork price index that tracks 16 provincial-level regions that’s monitored by the country’s ag ministry. Pork prices are down 27.5% from year-ago levels, according to the index.