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Agriculture & Food Production

TADB Wins 'Excellence in Agricultural Financing' at Global Brand Awards 2026

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TADB Wins 'Excellence in Agricultural Financing' at Global Brand Awards 2026

London – September 23, 2026 -- Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank (TADB) has won the 'Excellence in Agricultural Financing Solutions – Tanzania' title at the Global Brand Awards 2026, organised by Global Brands Magazine.

TADB recognised for expanding farmer and agribusiness access to finance

The award cites TADB's contribution to agricultural financing in Tanzania, including expanding access to finance for farmers and agribusinesses while supporting sustainable agricultural value chains. The Bank's focus areas include smallholder farmer financing, agribusiness development, climate-smart agriculture and financial inclusion.

KT&G Quadruples InterTabac Booth Size, Pushes Global Distribution

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KT&G Quadruples InterTabac Booth Size, Pushes Global Distribution

Seoul – September 23, 2026 -- KT&G Corporation closed its participation in InterTabac 2026, the world's largest tobacco trade fair, after operating an exhibition booth roughly four times larger than its 2025 footprint at the Dortmund, Germany event held September 15-17.

KT&G expands booth fourfold to showcase combustible and next-generation product lines

The Korean manufacturer organized its expanded space into four themed zones by product category, displaying combustible cigarette brands ESSE and BOHEM alongside next-generation products (NGP), vapor devices and nicotine pouches. InterTabac drew roughly 800 companies from more than 70 countries across 12 exhibition halls this year.

Jiaozhou Turns Factory Floors Into Tourism Draw for 15,000 Firms

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Jiaozhou Turns Factory Floors Into Tourism Draw for 15,000 Firms

Jiaozhou – September 23, 2026 -- Jiaozhou, an industrial city in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, is converting manufacturing sites into tourist attractions, with more than 15,000 industrial enterprises and over 1,000 above designated size operating in the city, the highest count among cities of its tier in the province.

Local authorities push industrial firms into cultural tourism

A growing number of manufacturers in Jiaozhou are opening production lines to visitors, converting factory floors into sightseeing routes and study-tour venues, a shift encouraged by local government policy to expand industrial chains and boost brand influence.

Fair Trade USA Launches Public Data Platform Ahead of October Campaign

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Fair Trade USA Launches Public Data Platform Ahead of October Campaign

Oakland – September 22, 2026 -- Fair Trade USA has launched Stories of Impact, a public data platform built on its Impact Intelligence Hub, giving buyers and consumers an interactive view of the supply chains behind Fair Trade Certified products.

Platform launch precedes October's Fair Trade Month campaign

The rollout arrives days before Fair Trade Month, timed to give the public early access to impact data as the organization's annual campaign begins. This year's campaign theme is "Fair Trade Future."

Site combines mapping, producer stories and 2025 metrics

The platform includes an interactive impact map, a producer story library covering 2023 to present, visualized 2025 impact metrics, eco-region overlays showing the environments tied to specific certified products, and cross-regional project themes spanning multiple commodities.

ADAMA Launches Actagon Herbicide to Combat Resistant Weeds in India

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ADAMA Launches Actagon Herbicide to Combat Resistant Weeds in India

Beijing – September 22, 2026 -- ADAMA Ltd. (SZSE 000553) has launched Actagon®, a ready-mix pre-emergent herbicide for wheat growers in India, targeting the herbicide-resistant grass weed Phalaris minor.

ADAMA combines two active ingredients into a single ready-mix formulation

Actagon® blends pyroxasulfone and metribuzin in one liquid formulation applied pre-emergence, eliminating the need for on-farm tank mixing. The dual-mode combination is designed to deliver long-lasting control of Phalaris minor along with other grass and broadleaf weeds while supporting resistance management strategies.

Launch targets Punjab and Haryana, India's top wheat-growing states

The rollout focuses on regions where Phalaris minor pressure is highest and farmers face mounting difficulty controlling the weed. Actagon® is registered in India, with commercial launch expected in September 2026.

Sealed Air Launches ZeroPrep Pouches to Cut Condiment Prep Time

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Sealed Air Launches ZeroPrep Pouches to Cut Condiment Prep Time

Charlotte, N.C. – September 22, 2026 -- Sealed Air Corporation has launched CRYOVAC® brand ZeroPrep hand-dispensing pouches, a pre-filled packaging format designed to eliminate squeeze bottle preparation and cleanup in restaurant back-of-house operations.

Pre-filled pouches replace rigid squeeze bottles in food service kitchens

Each ZeroPrep pouch includes an easy-open seal and a resealable spout that allows one-handed dispensing of condiments and sauces without drips. The pouches are hermetically sealed until first use, reducing contamination risk by removing the step of transferring condiments into secondary containers.

Indorama Secures $358M Loan to Double China Fertilizer Output

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Indorama Secures $358M Loan to Double China Fertilizer Output

Anyang – September 22, 2026 -- Anyang Indorama Gases Co., Ltd. has signed an RMB 2.4 billion (c. US$358 million) long-term loan facility with five banks to fund a Phase II fertilizer capacity expansion in Anyang City, Henan Province, China.

Financing will double urea capacity to 2 million tonnes annually by 2029

The subsidiary of Singapore-based Indorama Corporation Pte. Ltd. will use the loan to partially fund construction that will double its urea fertilizer capacity, produced from syngas and ammonia, to approximately 2 million tonnes per annum by 2029. The project follows Indorama's acquisition of the Anyang nitrogen fertilizer business earlier in 2026 and marks a brownfield expansion of its Chinese operations.

CaskX Draws 2,354 Wheel Spins at Kentucky Bourbon Festival

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CaskX Draws 2,354 Wheel Spins at Kentucky Bourbon Festival

Bardstown, Ky. – September 22, 2026 -- CaskX closed out its presence at the 2026 Kentucky Bourbon Festival with 2,354 spins recorded on its World Famous CaskX Bourbon Wheel, capped by a single attendee winning an entire barrel of 2026 Jackson Purchase bourbon.

Saturday spins hit a one-day record of 1,140 as rare pours drew crowds

Friday produced 698 spins before Saturday set a new one-day high of 1,140, according to CaskX. Guests sampled a rotating lineup of rare, limited and sold-out whiskeys over the three-day event, including six bottles of Pappy Van Winkle.

Bestzyme Opens First Automated Sweet Protein Plant in Jinan

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Bestzyme Opens First Automated Sweet Protein Plant in Jinan

Jinan – September 21, 2026 -- Bestzyme, a synthetic biology unit of GenScript Biotech, has completed what it calls the world's first dedicated, automated smart production line for sweet proteins at its Jinan facility, integrating R&D, mass production and application for the ingredient category for the first time globally.

Jinan facility delivers 100 tons of annual capacity equal to 300,000 tons of sucrose sweetness

The 5,000-square-meter plant runs a fully automated fermentation-purification-freeze-drying process for Bestzyme's flagship Mellia® Brazzein sweet protein. Once operational, the line will produce over 100 tons annually, a volume the company says matches the sweetness output of 300,000 tons of sucrose. Bestzyme expects capacity to potentially double within two years.

Walton Foundation Data Shows $8 Return Per $1 in Nature-Based Water Projects

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Walton Foundation Data Shows $8 Return Per $1 in Nature-Based Water Projects

Washington – – September 21, 2026 -- The Walton Family Foundation has launched Human Nature, a storytelling initiative documenting nature-based water projects that a June 2026 University of Georgia study found can deliver returns of up to $8 for every $1 invested when flood reduction, clean water, habitat and recreation benefits are counted.

Foundation expands Environment Program to scale proven water solutions

The initiative pairs on-the-ground restoration work with efforts to shift policy, financing and market conditions, according to Moira Mcdonald, director of the foundation's Environment Program. A 2025 Morning Consult poll cited by the foundation found 80% of Americans want wetland restoration prioritized by state and local governments.