Crop prices sprang higher as warm weather settled over the central US, intensifying worries about corn that lifted other grains as well.

High temperatures have blanketed farm states this week at the moment that corn enters its critical pollination stage.

General Mills hit out at ethanol subsidies as a driver of rising food prices in the US, arguing that they needlessly fuel inflation.

The Energy Department plans to provide a $105 million loan guarantee for the expansion of an ethanol factory in Emmetsburg, Iowa, that intends to make motor fuel from corncobs, leaves and husks.

Experts say that the new factory, being built by POET, a major producer of ethanol derived from corn kernels, could be the first commercial-scale plant to make ethanol from a nonfood, or cellulosic, pla

Kenya's state-run National Safety Authority is set to approve importation of genetically modified maize into the country for the first time to mitigate a looming shortage, its head said on Wednesday.

The Kenyan government last week forecast a shortfall in the supply of maize, a staple in east Africa's biggest economy, of 14.8 million 90-kg bags in the 2011/12 season due to drought.

"With the

Cotton, groundnut sowing likely to be affected if the clouds don

Heavy rains and flooding across swaths of US farmland mean farmers have planted significantly less corn than initially intended, according to Cargill, the world

The U.S. ethanol industry is growing up.

Punjab's attempts at diversification from water-guzzling paddy hasn

FAO forecast of generally tight situation for most crops and commodities over next 18 months. Consumers are unlikely to get relief from high food prices till December 2012, despite a modest increase in global foodgrain production.