Agriculture
Agricultural commodities, processing and products
Ministry skips meeting on rice-pledging crackdown
The initial meeting of state agencies intended to expedite cases related to the previous government’s rice-pledging scheme failed to proceed on October 10 after Finance Ministry staff did not show up. Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya, who was to chair the meeting, said he did not know why ...
China places first order for Thai rice under last Dec’s G2G deal
China has agreed to place the first purchase order for 100,000 tonnes of Thai rice under a government-to-government contract for a total of one million tonnes, which was signed last December. The order is for new-crop 5-per-cent white rice at a free-on-board price of US$399 per tonne ...
Consumers in Vietnam go ‘hog wild’ for pork
Vietnam has a population of approximately 93 million people with, according to official reports, an average pork consumption of about 20 kg per capita annually that is on a trajectory to double over the next few years. The nation’s pork production ranks sixth on a global ...
Scoring palm oil buyers on their sustainability commitments
2015 was supposed to be a big year for the palm oil industry — the year it proposed to reach a “tipping point” and begin predominantly producing and trading palm oil that was not responsible for the destruction of forests, abuses of human rights, and ...
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 ...
Growth to continue but economy faces significant risks
Economic growth in Laos will remain buoyant however the region still faces significant risks to growth, according to a new World Bank report. The outlook of the Lao economy remains favourable overall but with increasing downside risks GDP growth is projected to remain at around seven ...
Ministry calls meet on rice scheme suspects
The Justice Ministry has invited anti-graft agencies to a meeting next week when it is expected to name the people to be probed in the 853 alleged corruption cases connected to the rice-pledging scheme. The Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission last week said it had received 853 ...
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 ...
Innovation for a fruitful harvest
The integration of technology into Cambodia’s agricultural sector is vital to increase the competitiveness and overall performance of the Kingdom’s harvest, but efforts to push for widespread adoption of innovative solutions has been slow to take off, industry experts and stakeholders said at a forum ...
Bank trims rate to coax millers
The state-owned bank entrusted with extending $27 million in emergency loans to millers to purchase rice paddy has marginally lowered the interest rate on these conditional loans in an effort to shorten some of the strings attached. The Rural Development Bank announced late on September 25 that ...