Google and Mitti Labs Sign Five-Year Rice Methane Carbon Credit Deal

The World Meteorological Organization said sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific are expected to rise to record levels between October and December 2026, reflecting a strengthening El Niño. The phenomenon is expected to peak in December and may become one of the strongest El Niño events since at least 1950. On the news, on October 9, while the three major indices fell collectively, the agriculture sector rose against the market. The CSI Agriculture Theme Index rose 0.49 percent, with Shennong Group up more than 2 percent, Lihua Shares up nearly 2 percent, and nine stocks including Xinyangfeng and Juxing Farming up more than 1 percent. China Galaxy Securities noted that a new super El Niño is forming, and climate anomalies are hitting global agricultural markets. El Niño pushes warm water and rainfall centers toward the central and eastern Pacific, with Southeast Asia, Australia, and West Africa typically facing drought risks, while parts of South America see significantly more rainfall. Combined with global warming, the frequency of extreme weather such as high temperatures, drought, and heavy rainfall is rising further, increasing uncertainty in agricultural production. The firm also said this El Niño has officially formed and its intensity is still increasing. NOAA forecasts a probability of more than 90 percent that it will reach a very strong level in autumn and winter, with impacts potentially spanning the 2026 and 2027 production years.

Mondelez International has invested in Area One Farms Fund V to support Canadian farmers and local crop production. The partnership aims to expand access to growth capital for farm operators investing in modern agricultural technology and practices in Canada, with the fund focused on regenerative agriculture and long-term stewardship of farmland. Mondelez Canada's backing of Area One Farms Fund V aligns with its sustainability ambitions and sits within wider supply chain and agriculture themes. Mondelez International, a US-based snacks and beverages group with a market capitalization of about $76.1b, relies on agricultural inputs from regions including North America, and the company has raised its 2026 organic net revenue guidance to at least 2%.

FMC Corporation has submitted its regulatory dossier for rimisoxafen, the first dual mode of action herbicide, to Brazilian authorities, targeting resistant broadleaf weeds in major soybean and corn markets. The Brazil submission is the second global filing for rimisoxafen, following an earlier filing with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and advances the company's pipeline of new proprietary herbicides. The move connects to FMC's recent exclusive supply and license agreement with Corteva around rimisoxafen, which includes a US$200 million pre-purchase and provides a commercialization pathway in corn and soybeans. FMC's narrative projects $3.9 billion in revenue and $313.5 million in earnings by 2029, requiring 6.6% yearly revenue growth and about a $3.0 billion earnings increase from -$2.7 billion today. The lowest analyst estimate assumes revenue of about US$3.8 billion and earnings of roughly US$335.0 million by 2029, citing the long, uncertain approval path for products like rimisoxafen as a key reason profits could lag.

This year's autumn farming season has seen more high-end smart agricultural machinery products put into frontline use, with accelerated industrial application of grain combine harvesters with an 18-kilogram-per-second feed rate and plant protection drones with an 85-kilogram payload. On October 8, the CSI Agriculture Thematic Index rose 0.35%, with constituent stocks including Zhongnongfa Seed, Shennong Seed, and Hainan Rubber leading gains; the underlying index of Agricultural ETF Tianhong rose 0.59%, with turnover exceeding 670,000 yuan, and net inflows of nearly 50 million yuan over the past week as of September 30. Sinolink Securities noted that China continues to promote the revitalization of the seed industry and boost output by raising grain yields per unit area. Global weather disruptions may cause some decline in crop production. At present, the planting sector's prosperity has bottomed out and stabilized, and grain prices have begun to rise. If a substantial reduction in grain output occurs, the prosperity of the planting industry chain is expected to improve.