Wilmar forced to end dispute in Australia

The two-year conflict involves cane growers in Queensland.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said Australia would introduce a mandatory code of conduct forcing millers to allow farmers to choose who sells the sweetener after it has been processed by mills.

"The Australian government has made a rare intervention in the country's sugar market, effectively forcing Singapore-listed miller Wilmar International Ltd to end a two-year dispute with cane growers in the state of Queensland," reported Reuters.

It noted that the dispute in the world's No.4 sugar exporter began in 2015 when Wilmar, MSF Sugar, owned by Thai sugar giant Mitr Phol, and the Australian unit of Chinese agribusiness COFCO Corp said they would no longer sell supplies of processed sugar through an industry-owned marketing body.

Read more here.