Pratik Parija

Putting publicly funded technologies in private hands could help them move from supplying components to manufacturing complex systems.

China is expected to ship at least 1.2 million tons of a key fertilizer variety to India, marking a ramp-up in sales from the world’s top producer after Beijing loosened export controls earlier this year.

India’s weaker-than-normal monsoon is threatening key crops, heightening the risk that food prices will rise in the world’s most populous nation.

The June-September season is forecast to deliver below-normal precipitation through its final month, worsening the harvest after a 14% rainfall deficit in the first three months.

The global cocoa market is poised to face a supply shortfall for the first time in three years as a strengthening El Niño threatens production across key growing regions, according to Asia’s top processor.

Ghana’s cocoa output could tumble by more than a third as adverse weather and disease stresses trees, its state-run exporter said, adding to the strain on global supply of the chocolate ingredient.

Cocoa futures rose in New York and London, trimming a weekly decline, as the market grapples with the prospect of sufficient short-term supplies being followed by a deficit in the season ahead.

Raw sugar futures extended gains to the highest since March 2025, as strong Indian import demand and delays to crushing in top grower Brazil added to concerns over tighter supplies.

Raw sugar has surged about 30% this year as the outlook shifts from a surplus to a shortage in the 2026-27 season.

India’s sugar output is set to decline next season as El Niño-induced dryness threatens the harvest that begins next month, further tightening supplies in the world’s second-biggest producer.