🇫🇷LATEST: FRANCE LAUNCHES LOAN PROGRAM FOR SMALL BUSINESSESThe French government is launching a loan program of up to €50,000 for small businesses in transportation, fishing, and agriculture severely impacted by rising fuel costs.The program is available starting April 13 for 3 years, with a 3.8% interest rate.Additionally, it requires no guarantees for companies spending at least 5% of their revenue on fuel.Source: Bloomberg ...

The French government will offer loans of as much as €50,000 ($57,600) to small businesses that are the most exposed to rising fuel costs in transportation, fishing and agriculture https://t.co/NzcY2eBzXm ...

Fertilizer Industry - The price of Middle East urea, a key nitrogen fertilizer, has increased over 50% since the beginning of the year, significantly impacting agricultural costs [1] - Major fertilizer producers, including Iran, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, are currently blocked from exporting due to the ongoing conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, affecting global fertilizer supply [5] - The cost of nitrogen fertilizer has risen by $50 per acre for farmers, coinciding with the start of the planting season, which limits their ability to adjust to sudden price increases [4][6] Oil and Energy Costs - Brent crude oil prices have surpassed $110 per barrel, contributing to rising costs across various sectors, including agriculture and food production [2] - Diesel fuel prices have increased by 50 cents per gallon, further straining agricultural operations and increasing overall production costs [4][18] Food Prices and Consumer Impact - Grocery prices have already begun to rise, with food costs increasing by 2.6% year over year as of February [8] - Experts predict that consumers may see price increases of 15% for items like coffee, tea, and chocolate by fall due to higher packaging and transportation costs [10] - Produce prices, particularly for off-season items, could rise between 5% and 20% depending on origin, driven by increased input costs [11][12] Meat and Seafood Prices - The cost of meat and poultry is expected to rise, with beef prices potentially increasing by 50 cents to $1 per pound due to higher feed, fertilizer, and fuel costs [13] - Seafood prices sourced from Asia could increase by 20% by fall, exacerbated by longer shipping routes and higher transportation costs [15] - Local seafood businesses have raised prices by 25% to 30% due to increased diesel costs for fishing and distribution [16][18]

"I'm really scratching my head because I voted Republican and most of us in the fishing industry did, and we're not seeing the, the positives come out of it." Alex Tabet speaks with members of the fishing community in Cortez, Florida, who say rising diesel prices — driven by the war in Iran — are compounding the challenges they've faced from Trump's tariffs. MS NOW: My Source for News, Opinion, and the World. » Subscribe to MS NOW: https://www.youtube.com/@msnow MS NOW is the go-to destination for domestic ...

Catch of the day: Pictures from spectacular Nigerian fishing festival https://t.co/MB0JwxtK2T ...

Japan said it seized a Chinese fishing vessel and arrested its captain after the ship entered the nation’s exclusive economic zone and sought to avoid inspection https://t.co/yachUAwTvf ...

RT Isabella Anderson (@IsabellaAn67)The giant Chinese fishing ship swarms are brighter than all the cities in the southern half of South America combined!China operates more than 500,000 fishing vessels, and at least 50,000 overseas fishing fleets that wipe the oceans clean on their path!Collectively, they probably consume more petroleum fuel by volume and emit more CO2 than all the cars in Europe combined, let alone the global scale environmental and ecological mass destruction.Never saw @GretaThunberg, @G ...

Japan’s Fisheries Agency seized a Chinese fishing vessel that entered the nation’s exclusive economic zone off the coast of Nagasaki prefecture after it failed to comply with a request for an inspection and fled, according to a statement https://t.co/5EnvDDEZBq ...

If female lobstermen are rare today, they were unheard of when Virginia Oliver was growing up during the Great Depression. We remember the Mainer who lived to 105 https://t.co/sIWZIQLuKf ...

with a land mass three times that of Texas, but with a population just 57,000 able to fit comfortably inside an NFL stadium, Greenland has long been a forgotten outpost. No more. The world's largest island is suddenly the bell of the geopolitical ball with outsized consequences. President Trump offered to buy the territory from the Danish government that controls it. When his overtures were dismissed as absurd, Trump doubled down and now declined to rule out force, also vowing to acquire Greenland, quote, o ...