Brazil's GM Soy Tied Up Over Trade Dispute With Monsanto

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Heather Callaghan

Brazil is the world's number one exporter of soy. It is Monsanto's biggest market after the United States. The USDA expects Brazil to break records next year with 91 million tons of soybean production, but has said the U.S. could replace Brazil as the world's top soybean exporter.

Could that have anything to do with a current trade dispute?

Monsanto wants commodity trading companies to make sure farmers pay up. Royalty fees, that is. 

There's just one problem...

The trading firms don't want to get involved.

Obama cancels public speech in Rio square: embassy

Brazilian army
© AFP Antonio Scorza

AFP

BRASILIA (AFP) - President Barack Obama has cancelled a public speech he was scheduled to deliver Sunday in a Rio square during his upcoming visit to Brazil, the US embassy in Brasilia said.

The speech in the historic plaza known as Cinelandia, in the heart of Rio de Janeiro, "is cancelled," an embassy spokeswoman told AFP.

Obama instead will deliver remarks at Rio's Municipal Theatre, the official said, without specifying whether it would be open to the public or exclusively for invited guests.