Agriculture
Agricultural commodities, processing and products
Rice production expected to not meet targets
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Laos has estimated farmers around the country to produce 4.2 million tonnes of rice this year; 600,000 tonnes of which is expected to be dry season rice, 3.4 million tonnes of wet season rice, and another 200,000 tonnes ...
Gov’t seeks input on new rice standards

The Institute of Standards of Cambodia is soliciting feedback from local stakeholders as it prepares to launch two new standards for the rice industry, the country’s most important agricultural sector. The draft standards identify each variety’s distinct characteristics, including its unique shape, texture, scent and cooking ...
First shipment of Australian cattle arrives in Sihanoukville
A ship carrying 2,766 head of Australian cattle dropped anchor off the coast of Sihanoukville on Thursday night and will this morning offload the first delivery of beef cows from the Pacific nation since Phnom Penh and Canberra finalized health protocols two years ago, the ...
The water conflict on the Mekong

Located at the end of the Mekong River basin, the Mekong Delta in Vietnam is currently experiencing the most severe drought and salinity intrusion in 100 years. According to experts, the principal reason is development activities in Greater Mekong Subregion countries related to the use of ...
Sugar company's compensation deals leave families bitter in Kampong Speu

In 2010, more than 1,500 families in Kampong Speu’s Oral district were evicted from the land they had cultivated since the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979 to make way for a Phnom Penh Sugar Company mega-plantation. Bunsak, head of the Cambodian Human Rights ...
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 ...
Ministry promotes more water efficient crops

Taking precautions against drought, the Ministry of Agriculture is encouraging farmers to stop growing summer paddy in areas where water is scarce, according to deputy minister U Tun Win. Though the previous government wanted farmers to prioritise growing paddy, with water reservoirs near empty in several ...
Productivity soars for Vietnam

Vietnamese workers have substantially improved their productivity levels in the last 15 years, according to ICAEW’s latest ‘Economic Insight: South East Asia’ event launched in Ha Noi on 10 June. According to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales report, ‘pure productivity’ grew 2.3 ...
Old habits put crops at risk: study

A new academic report has urged farmers in the northwest of the Kingdom to change their planting ways if they want to mitigate the detrimental impacts of climate change on their crops. Van, a researcher with the department of agronomy and soil science at the University ...
Rice export data show consistent decline

Cambodian rice exports have dramatically declined over the past three months compared to the same period last year, according to data released by the General Department of Agriculture on 7 June. Rice exports in the first five months of this year totaled 234,328 tonnes, compared ...