NEW YORK -- US ethanol plants are expected to sharply curtail production in the weeks ahead as steep Midwest corn prices and the US-China trade war have led to weak margins and oversupply, industry sources said.

NEW DELHI -- Every year, tens of millions of Hindus flock to the Venkateswara Temple in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh to pay tribute to site’s patron deity and pick up some of its famous sweets, the legendary “Tirupati laddu.”

DAVAO CITY -- Mindanao farmers, including agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB), have put together a list of expected government interventions needed to boost the agricultural sector, highlighting high-value crops.

CHICAGO -- Severe US weather likely dented earnings for large grain companies including Archer Daniels Midland Co and Bunge Ltd for a second straight quarter, adding to headwinds from a still-unresolved US-China trade war, analysts and economists said.

PUTNAM COUNTY, ILLINOIS -- A disappointing planting season due to massive flooding in the US Midwest this spring is expected to have spillover effects on diesel demand during harvest season, analysts and traders said.

BOGOTA -- Colombia, the world’s top supplier of washed arabica, is creating a special fund to subsidize coffee farmers when production costs fall below international prices.

WASHINGTON -- A law firm representing small US refineries has urged the Environmental Protection Agency to keep refiners’ applications for waivers from the nation’s biofuel policy secret from the Department of Agriculture, arguing that the petitions include confidential business information.

THE DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry (DTI) is pushing for the development of cacao and coffee in Iloilo, where several towns and cities have been identified as priority areas for the industry clusters strategy.

SAO PAULO -- Organizations representing coffee farmers from around the world will meet next week in Brazil as the sector faces one of its hardest times, with prices barely covering production costs and pushing farmers out of business.

CHICAGO -- A private importer in China last week bought US rice for the first time ever, in the midst of a trade war between the two nations, a rice industry group said on Wednesday.

GENEVA -- The United States and 15 other countries launched a broadside of criticism at the European Union on Thursday, saying its “hazard-based” approach to regulating pesticides and other “critical tools” used by farmers was damaging livelihoods worldwide.

SAO PAULO -- An historic trade deal between the European Union and South American trade bloc Mercosur last week is lifting expectations for Europe’s next mission to evaluate Brazilian chicken plants, an industry group said on Thursday.