* Cocoa producers in the Ivory Coast have been storing beans for the past few weeks as they wait for farmgate prices to improve.

The practice is nothing new, but experts are worried about the amount being stored.

According to Reuters, farmers have been holding on to between 90,000 and 100,000 tonnes, which is far higher than last year’s 40,000 to 50,000 tonnes.

* South Korea has confirmed a new case of African swine fever, the ninth since the disease was first discovered earlier this month.

According to the country’s agriculture ministry, the latest case was found close to the country’s border with North Korea.

* China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi told Reuters on Thursday that the Asian nation was willing to buy more US products its markets needed and that upcoming trade talks between the two countries would only yield results if both sides continued to show goodwill.

He also added that both sides should “take more enthusiastic measures” and “reduce pessimistic language and actions”.

* South Africa’s Crop Estimates Committee said on Thursday that the country is expected to harvest more maize in 2019 compared to its August estimates.

The government body put the new output estimate at 11.080m tonnes, compared to the August estimate of 11.016m toones.

The harvest is expected to be made up of 5.538m tonnes of white maize and 5.542m tonnes of yellow maize.

* Thailand has put 24 provinces in the country on high alert in the hopes of preventing an African swine fever outbreak.

Officials in the country said on Friday that they have ordered strict animal controls in the provinces.

Neighbouring countries Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia have all reported cases of the disease.