Crop products and commodities
Biofuel crops
Indonesia’s rich list stacked with palm oil billionaires
Forbes’ annual catalog of the country’s wealthiest people reads like a who’s who of the palm oil industry tycoons and represents an example of wealth being unusually concentrated to a few oligarchs. Fourteen of the 32 Indonesian billionaires identified by Forbes magazine are palm oil tycoons, having accumulated ...
Cassava leaves farmers struggling
Cassava prices rose this month compared with a few months ago due to limited supply, but the market for cassava is uncertain. Sorn Yin, the president of Malai Trading that collects cassava in Banteay Meanchey province and sells to Thailand, said that despite the price rising ...
Bad weather threatens to put a damper on sugar harvest
Unfavourable weather has delayed Thailand’s sugar crushing season, threatening a reduction in sugar output for the 2016/17 crop. The drop will prevent Thailand, the world’s second largest sugar exporter, from capitalising on rising global sugar prices at a time it is being challenged by Brazil ...
Farmers have date with destiny

A Thai agricultural company will work with a local firm to introduce commercial date palm cultivation to the Kingdom, which it claims can generate more profits for farmers than pepper and other cash crops, and for which it has already lined up buyers. Chiang Mai-based Daily ...
Vietnam firm eyes transferring sugar mill in Laos

Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group has finally confirmed it is negotiating with Thanh Thanh Cong to transfer its sugar mill in Laos to TTC – both companies are giants in their field, Vietnam’s local media reported this week. TTC is known as the leading player in ...
Large M&A deal could change Vietnam’s sugar industry

Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group HAGL has finally confirmed that it is negotiating with Thanh Thanh Cong on the transfer of its sugar mill in Laos to TTC. As both of them are giants in their field, the deal is expected to lead to big ...
State aid for cassava farmers

The government is set to introduce measures to curb the adverse impact of falling tapioca prices in light of lower imports from China and price-cutting competition. Wiboonlasana Ruamraksa, director-general of the Internal Trade Department, said the measures include schemes to cut farmers’ existing loan interest, ...
ASEAN sugar producers form alliance
Myanmar has formed an alliance with six other sugar-producing countries in the region, with a view to improving cooperation and boosting trade, in preparation for the ASEAN Economic Community, which aims to create a single market for capital, goods, labour and services. Seven countries – ...
Mekong Delta urged to step up paddy farming

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has called for provinces in the Mekong Delta to expand paddy farming in areas with favorable weather conditions given positive projections for outbound sales of the staple food later this year. With positive market forecasts by the VFA, Deputy ...
DSI looking into Buri Ram forest encroachment

The Department of Special Investigation is considering whether to take over a case of alleged encroachment involving more than 2,000 rai of a forest reserve in Satuk district planted in cash crops by investors. A team of DSI investigators went to Khok Chod national forest reserve ...