Agricultural commodities, processing and products
Crop products and commodities
Thai rice farmers shun pesticides and fight climate change
Battling drought, debt and ailments blamed on pesticides, rice farmers in northern Thailand have turned to eco-friendly growing methods despite powerful agribusiness interests in a country that is one of the top exporters of the grain in the world. Walking through a sea of green waist-high ...
Unsustainable natural rubber poses major threat to wildlife and people
Used in everyday products, such as tyres, yoga mats, shoes and condoms – global natural rubber production is lacking the transparency and subsequent sustainability commitments to protect both people and wildlife. That is the finding of the world’s first analysis of the natural rubber industry undertaken ...
ZSL (Zoological Society of London)
Thailand boosting rubber exports a concern
Rubber growers and exporters have expressed concern that prices will continue to fall as Thailand seeks to boost its natural rubber exports, industry insider Men Sopheak said. In March, the International Tripartite Rubber Council (ITRC), which comprises Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, agreed to reduce rubber exports ...
Cassava more fruitful than rice in Cambodia, says UNDP study
As a national policy on cassava production nears finalisation, the government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have called on farmers to grow cassava. The government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have called on farmers to grow cassava as a national policy on ...
Thou Vireak
Mekong Coffee Growers Struggle with Drought and a Warming Climate
In villages around the city of Buon Ma Thuot, Vietnamese farmers wait for the monsoon that normally arrives in April or May. “The fruits look ripe outside, but the bean is crispy and small because there was not enough rain,” says 28-year-old Y Bel Eban from Krong village, ...
Karoline Kan
Severe Drought in Mekong Region Reduces Rice Planting in Laos

Lao farmers have planted rice on less than half the country’s cultivable land this year because of a persistent drought in the Mekong River region that has seen severely reduced water levels and the delay of seasonal monsoon rains, which have yet to begin. Growers have ...
Socfin Cambodia announces success of 2018 CSR initiatives
Socfin Cambodia, a leader in the development and management of rubber plantations in the Kingdom, announced its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) accomplishments in a press release issued on Monday. Socfin Cambodia, which is part of the Europe-based Socfin Group, operates in the Kingdom under two subsidiaries ...
Rice production in Vietnam's Mekong Delta took wrong path: expert
While the entire society was still in dreaming of being a rice export power, farmers were realistic, realizing that the higher the yield of rice, the lower profit they would get because of higher fertilizer and pesticide costs. Rice farmers in the Mekong Delta now live ...
Mekong Delta fruit farmers enjoy bumper harvest, high prices
Farmers in the Mekong Delta have entered the peak fruit harvesting season, with bumper harvests and high selling prices. In Tra Vinh province, the peak harvest began early this month for specialty fruits like mangosteens, durians, rambutans and longans. Kha Van Hong, who has a 2,000 ...
Mekong Delta prepares for summer-autumn rice crop
Authorities in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta have warned farmers to sow the Summer-Autumn rice crop on schedule to ensure water for irrigation and avoid diseases. In areas where there is a water shortage, rice farmers have been encouraged to switch to grow drought-resistant crops. With assistance ...