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Argentine Farm Policies Could Dent Grains Output BUENOS AIRES - Government policies aimed at fighting inflation and cashing in on high global grains prices could lead Argentine farmers to grow less wheat and soy, a leading grains producer said Wednesday. Argentina is one of the world's top suppliers of soy, wheat, corn and beef, but surging export demand has pushed up the price of everyday staples and the government has responded with export bans, price controls and export tax increases. Last week, the government raised duties on soy and sunseed sales abroad -- a measure that has infuriated exporters and...

Wheat futures soar after Kazakhstan moves to restrict grain exports By STEVENSON JACOBS, AP Business Writer NEW YORK 2/25/08 - Wheat futures shot up 60 cents a bushel Monday after Kazakhstan said it would slow grain exports by imposing customs duties, adding to concerns over tightening global supplies. Other commodities traded mixed, with crude oil gaining and gold falling. Wheat prices have surged to historic highs as bad weather has battered crop after crop around the globe, most recently in India and Canada. Foreign buyers scrambling to lock in supplies have increasingly turned to other wheat-growing countries like the United...

China to increase rare metals' export tax By Tu Lei (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2007-05-28 17:07 China will raise export taxes on a range of rare metal products, including tungsten, rare earth, and molybdenum, from June 1, in a bid to protect resources from running out, said Wu Rongqing, an official with the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council. The policy says the increased export tax on tungsten, rare-earth, and molybdenum is 15 percent, and tariffs on molybdenum oxide, ammonium molybdate, and natrium molybdate range from a five to 15 percent increase compared with the tax rebate policy on rare metals...