Photos of Brazilian coffee farmers facing threat from US tariff
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Reuters
12 minutes ago
- Reuters
‘Reef Saudi' Program Successfully Completes Trial of Small-Scale Coffee Peeling Equipment, Begins Distribution to Farmers
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, August 16, 2025 (EZ Newswire) -- The Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program, known as "Reef Saudi, opens new tab," has announced the highly successful completion of its pilot trial for small-scale coffee peeling equipment. The program confirmed that these machines will now be made available in local markets, placing them within reach of smallholder farmers as part of ongoing efforts to enhance coffee production and improve product marketing. Reef Saudi's official spokesperson, Majid Al-Buraikan, explained that each machine is capable of peeling up to 50 kilograms of coffee beans per hour, which is sufficient to process the yield of an entire village. He emphasized that adopting this technology will be feasible for small-scale farmers, as the machines will be offered at an affordable price not exceeding SAR 4,000. Al-Buraikan further affirmed that Reef Saudi is committed to developing the coffee sector by offering direct support to small farmers and local producers. The program is also implementing a range of strategic projects and initiatives aimed at bolstering food security and increasing the economic return for those working in the sector. About Reef Saudi The Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program, known as 'Reef Saudi,' is a government initiative launched by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, on January 9, 2019. The program aims to achieve balanced economic and social development by utilizing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's natural, agricultural and renewable water resources in a sustainable and optimal manner. Reef Saudi focuses on supporting and empowering small-scale farmers and rural families by providing financial and technical assistance, thereby improving their income and enhancing their productivity. Reef Saudi is a key pillar of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, contributing to the diversification of the national economy, sustainable development of rural areas, and promotion of social stability and localization. For more information, visit opens new tab and follow Reef Saudi on X (Twitter), opens new tab and Instagram, opens new tab. Media Contact Ahmed ### SOURCE: Reef Saudi Copyright 2025 EZ Newswire See release on EZ Newswire
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Farmers in US midwest squeezed by Trump tariffs and climate crisis
Seventh-generation farmer Brian Harbage grows corn, soybeans and grass, and runs a cattle operation across five counties in western Ohio. In the world of agriculture, his work makes up a large business. And still, the past two years have been immensely challenging amid the twin threats of the climate crisis and the Trump administration. Last year, regions of the eastern corn belt saw just 20% of crops harvested due to a drought that brought little precipitation between June and October. It was part of a climatic cycle that involved drought, heat and wildfires that cost crop producers $11bn nationally. 'Last year, we got a good crop started, and then it just quit raining. Our yields were definitely reduced by at least 25-30%,' says Harbage. This year, it's been almost the complete opposite. Excess rainfall has fueled severe disease and pest pressure on the several thousand acres of soybeans and corn he planted in the spring. 'There were three-day windows, it seemed like. It would just start to get dried out and it would rain,' he says. 'We finished up [planting] at the beginning of June. We like to be finished by 15 May. Anything that's planted later means that it was probably planted in marginal conditions since we were rushing to get it in, and secondly, it doesn't have near enough time to mature before harvest.' With the 2025 harvest of corn and soybeans approaching – America's biggest two crops and the linchpins of agriculture – crop growers are facing down the gauntlet. Climatic swings, rocketing operating costs and low international demand, caused, in large part, by government policy in the shape of tariffs, has created the perfect storm. 'Farming is not for the worrisome,' says Harbage. 'We always kid that we are crisis managers.' Suicide rates among farmers are 3.5 times the national level. In 2023-24, China bought 24.9m metric tons of soybeans worth $13.2bn, largely used to feed its 427-million-strong pig herd. At under 6m metric tons, US farmers' second biggest international soybean market, Mexico, lags far behind. Since 2017, when tariffs were first introduced by President Trump, crop farmers have been struggling with the decline of China as the leading market for soybeans and an important market for corn exports. Last month, reports emerged that exports of soybeans – America's largest grain export by value – had hit a 20-year low. 'Tariffs are probably something that will help in the long run, for the whole country; in the short run it's terrible for farmers,' says Harbage. 'We're really taking it on the chin now because if we can't export, our prices are low. And if we can't export and we have a terrible crop then it's a one-two punch. I see what the government wants to do, but it's hurting me in the near term.' Farmers and rural Americans are keen to highlight that their political and voting preferences are rarely fueled by a single issue or event such as tariffs. Many continue to back Trump, despite the obvious financial challenges the president's policies are fomenting. Trump has been largely silent on addressing the pain his tariffs have caused farmers and ranchers, despite rural voters being a cornerstone of his political base. On 10 August, he posted to Truth Social a demand that China quadruple its purchases of American soybeans. The president claimed that China was 'worried' about having a soybean shortage, although China has vowed to increase its domestic soybean production yield by 38% by 2034. What's more, some market analysts say that Trump's post didn't make the rounds on Chinese social media, suggesting his demand may not have been heard by the country's political leaders. With the soybean harvest in the midwest set to start about a month from now, and corn following weeks later, the fear that China may not buy a single shipload of grain this season is growing for many. 'With [tariffs] in place, we are not competitive with soybeans from Brazil. Our marketing year starts 1 October and usually by now we'd see China making commitments to pre-purchases for soybeans. China has not made a single purchase for US soybeans,' says Virginia Houston, director of government affairs at the American Soybean Association, a lobbying organization. 'No market can match China's demand for soybeans. Right now, there is a 20% retaliatory duty from China.' To appease his farming base, the Trump administration announced $60bn in subsidies for farmers over the next decade in the recent tax bill, but that has drawn criticism from those who say that farmers shouldn't be subsidized on taxpayers' dime. Others have reported that funding is going to select producers in specific regions of the US, benefiting bigger producers rather than family farms. Adding to the export challenges, the price of commodity crops in the US has been in steady decline for the past three years due to a smaller cattle herd and falling ethanol production. Houston says that when she speaks with the White House and Congress to share the struggles farmers are facing due to tariffs, the response is that 'they support farmers [but] we are one cog in the wheel of this complex relationship. 'The farm economy is in a much tougher place than where we were in 2018 [during Trump's previous China trade war]. Prices have gone down while inputs – seed, fertilizer, chemicals, land and equipment – continue to go up.' All the while, unpredictable weather conditions continue to make planning more difficult. For much of this summer, afternoon storms had been a near-daily occurrence in Indiana, Ohio and elsewhere in the eastern corn belt, causing ponding that kills early plant growth. Diseases such as northern corn leaf blight, gray leaf spot and tar spot soon followed. 'When it's being attacked by disease, it's not growing to its full potential because it's trying to fight off the disease,' says Harbage. Although he treated his crops for disease, the heat and humidity that have been an uncommon feature of life this summer can overcome the effects of fungicides. On top of that, Harbage says he'll have to spend additional money on propane to dry his corn before sending it to consumers, again due to the high moisture content. If Trump walked into his farm today, Harbage says he'd have one message. 'The exports is number one. That's the number one fix. We have to get rid of what we're growing, or we have to be able to use it,' he says. 'China, Mexico and Canada – we export $83bn worth of commodities to them a year. So if they're not buying, we're stuck with our crop.' In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, chat on or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@ or jo@ In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at
Spectator
6 hours ago
- Spectator
The 12 minutes of the Trump-Putin summit that shook the world
The Trump-Putin press conference in Anchorage was 12 minutes that shook the world. Putin got precisely what he wanted, which was full personal rehabilitation as a respectable world leader. Donald Trump literally rolled out the red carpet for Putin and at the presser said that he had 'always had a fantastic relationship with President Putin, with Vladimir.' And though no deal was done over Ukraine, what Putin achieved was something far more valuable – a re-set of relations between Russia and the US. Putin admitted that bilateral ties had fallen to the 'lowest point since the Cold War' but called for both sides to move on. 'Not far from here lies the international date line where one can literally step from yesterday into tomorrow,' said Putin. He spoke of a 'constructive atmosphere of mutual respect,' of 'mutually beneficial and equal ties' and twice called the newly reset relationship with America 'businesslike'. Trump, for his part, praised both Putin and his team of 'tremendous Russian business representatives.' True, a planned lunch for the two delegations and a second, expanded round of talks was cancelled. Three of the five senior economics officials that Putin had brought didn't get to sit down with their US counterparts. But that was because the Russians decided that they had already got what they had come for. 'The way that it felt in the room… like Putin came in and steamrolled,' reported Fox News correspondent Jacqui Heinrich. Putin 'got right into what he wanted to say and got his photo next to the president and then left.' Though no deal was reached, Putin did come away from the summit with one very significant practical victory. The Anchorage summit effectively swept away all of Trump's previous ultimatums and threats of 'severe consequences' and replaced them with an open-ended negotiation framework that buys Putin time. More, Putin was able to pretend to be seeking peace and negotiation while in reality escalating offensive operations in Ukraine. And perhaps most important of all Putin made clear that he was not interested in a ceasefire but rather a comprehensive peace deal to be negotiated even as his forces continue their grinding advance in Donbas. And Putin clearly believes that Trump will be a pushover at the negotiating table. 'Trump may sincerely want to end the war, but he does not have the mental capacity to negotiate with Putin,' wrote Janis Kluge of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. 'You can't be tough if you don't understand the nuances of the issue you are negotiating. The result is that [Trump] gets manipulated.' What was striking was how carefully the Kremlin had planned the choreography of the summit. The very location of Alaska – loaded with symbolism not only of a lost Russian Empire but also of second world war US-Soviet cooperation – was the idea of veteran Russian diplomat Yury Ushakov. Meeting at the point of the North Pacific where Russia and America nearly touch also allowed Putin to greet Trump as his 'dear neighbour'. Enroute to the summit Putin stopped off at the former Gulag town of Magadan and there laid flowers at a monument to Soviet and American soldiers who were killed ferrying thousands of American planes gifted under Lend-Lease to the Soviet war effort. The symbolism was clear. Putin was honouring the men who died 'for our common victory' over Nazism, he told reporters. By implication, the US and Russia could unite again to oppose the supposedly Nazi regime in Kyiv. Putin's talking points were also precisely measured. He knows exactly what to say to please Trump, from confirming that the war would not have started if Trump had been president in 2022, to agreeing with Trump that Russian electoral interference in the 2016 US election was a 'hoax'. Appealing to Trump's greed, Putin spoke of the 'tremendous potential' for business cooperation. And to the outrage of many Ukrainians, Putin called the war that he himself started a 'terrible tragedy for us' and a 'wound' and insisted that Russians considered Ukrainians a 'brotherly nation'. That is a clear echo of a common Russian narrative that the war was fomented by western interference in Kyiv's affairs. It was also clear that the Kremlin's position has barely changed since 2022. When Putin speaks of the 'root causes' of the conflict he is saying that he sees an independent Ukraine that has the ability to defend itself is a fundamental threat to Russia. When he calls for a 'fair balance of security' Putin means restrictions on Nato deployments in the Baltics, Poland and Romania. Small wonder that ultranationalist Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin called the summit 'excellent… the best result that we could expect!' Hungary's prime minister Viktor Orbán wrote that 'the world is a safer place today than it was yesterday' as a result of the summit. The big question now is whether Trump will follow up by putting more pressure on Russia – or more pressure on Ukraine to capitulate. Trump will meet with Zelensky on Monday in the Oval Office to discuss what Trump called 'points that we negotiated [with Putin] and points that we largely have agreed upon. I think we have agreed on a lot… Ukraine has to agree to it, maybe they'll say no.' For Zelensky, the choice will be to agree to the terms Trump negotiated over his head – or refuse, and try to fight on with European help. Unfortunately for Ukraine, Putin doesn't seem to care whether the endgame of the war plays out on the negotiating table or the battlefield. Putin believes that he can win either way.
