Argentina looks set to increase its wheat and maize exports next season after the elimination of grain export taxes. The country will export 10.5m tonnes of wheat, the highest volume since 2011, while its maize shipments are expected to hit a record 28m tonnes, a 1.5m tonne year-on-year rise.

Want Want China Holdings, a Chinese processed-foods company, is expanding into the niche market for soy and plant-based milk products, as Chinese families begin to spend more for healthy food options. The move highlights the ongoing competition for growth among dairy processors in the $55.2bn Chinese dairy market.

The European pig market continues to lift, with rapidly rising prices due to pressured supply. This situation will continue towards summer, with record piglet prices during the first quarter of 2017. Exports remain the wild-card for the market’s price-top, as Asia continues to absorb exports.

Mexico is looking to diversify its trading partners amid the uncertainty surrounding US President Donald Trump’s plans to get rid of the trade partnership between the two countries. Mexico has been the US dairy industry’s largest export market, worth a value of $1.2bn annually. Argentina is likely to be a country of interest.