Korea Western Power has commissioned a 500 MW natural gas combined-cycle plant in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, built to replace the retired Taean coal-fired unit 1. It is South Korea's first coal-to-gas fuel conversion project, and it lifts Gumi's local power self-sufficiency from 6% to around 30%.
Indonesia's food and beverage producers have begun preparing for tighter global sugar supply after Thailand's output was projected to decline in the 2026-2027 season, Kontan reported. The industry association Gapmmi is asking for more flexible rules governing industrial sugar supply. The request focuses on the ability to adjust volumes and timing rather than on a specific tonnage.
Roskachestvo says Russia's 2026 wine-grape crop may be the strongest in ten years, with Krasnodar Krai again the leading region. The territory harvested more than 317,000 tonnes of technical varieties last season, about a third of the national total, while alcohol consumption in Russia fell in August to its lowest level since 1996.
The Queensland state government has introduced legislation that would restrict objections to mining lease approvals, according to Argus Media. The stated aim is to accelerate project approvals and limit legal challenges to mine expansions in one of Australia's main minerals-producing states.
North American softwood bleached kraft pulp (N-BKP) for August shipment was priced at $820 per tonne for Japanese buyers, unchanged from the previous month, according to Nikkei. Sluggish demand was offset by curtailed supply, leaving the market in balance. Weak consumption in China and a shift by Chinese mills towards importing wood chips instead of market pulp are capping demand.
Indonesian exports of coffee, tea and spices increased 54 percent, according to the business section of Kompas, which attributed the gain to strong global demand and higher international prices. The report groups the three categories together and does not separate volume growth from price effects, leaving the composition of the increase unclear for buyers and processors.
World soybean prices climbed on September 15 as US soybean oil stocks fell to their lowest level since November 2024, Brazil's CONAB projected the smallest planting expansion in roughly 20 years, and China stepped up purchases of US soybeans.
Indonesia's Deputy Minister of Industry, Faisol Riza, said raising food product standards is essential for the national food and beverage industry to compete internationally, according to Antara News. He said quality and safety benchmarks are becoming a precondition for entering global markets.
Japanese purchases of Indonesian wood pellets have risen by more than 500 percent, according to Indonesian outlet suara.com. The report links the export boom to worsening deforestation in Indonesia and points to weak oversight of the biomass supply chains feeding Japan's power sector.
Cap Holding, led by Chakib Alj, has quietly begun building a grain trading arm covering food and feed, Africa Intelligence reported on 14 September. The move follows the group's takeover of distressed miller Forafric, bought ten years ago by Franco-Moroccan financier Yariv Elbaz and now near bankruptcy.
India's merchandise exports rose 26.1% year on year in August 2026 to $43.81 billion, but agricultural performance was mixed. Rice, marine products, meat-dairy-poultry and coffee gained, while spices, fruits and vegetables, oilseeds, oil meal and tea declined. Imports of pulses, fertilisers and fruits and vegetables rose sharply.
Vietnam imported $2.15 billion of wood and wood products in January-July 2026, 18.2% more than in the same period of 2025, according to Customs Department statistics reported by vinanet.vn. The figure averages about $307 million a month and implies a year-earlier base of roughly $1.82 billion. For an industry that processes imported raw material into exported furniture, the import line is an early signal on order books.
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