G-7 ag ministers take aim at global fertilizer woes (Agri-Pulse) 

Agri-Pulse published an article stating that Ag ministers for the Group of Seven nations this weekend pledged action to counter the rising cost and scarcity of fertilizer. Senior research fellow and FAO’s Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS) interim secretary Joseph Glauber said, “When markets are tight and information is murky, countries are more likely to panic and take actions like banning exports of grain or fertilizer, which only makes the situation worse.” The G-7 decision to focus on AMIS and push for an expansion into fertilizer is very welcome news, said Glauber, who helped establish the FAO division just a little more than a decade ago. “It’s important is to have AMIS around when markets are tight like this,” Glauber added. “It’s hard to generate much interest when prices are moderate and supplies are plentiful, but you need a good information system and that’s why AMIS is important … When you have better information about markets, you’re less likely to take actions that are ill-advised.”