Agricultural policy and administration

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc directed the south-central region and Central Highlands to take measures to prevent droughts at a meeting with local authorities in Ninh Thuan province on 22 February. He urged the localities to examine water reservoirs and build plans for water usage, ...

Government officials, economists and businesses discussed the implementation of a draft program to invigorate vegetable farming in Cambodia and cut imports from neighbouring countries in half by 2018. The workshop, organised by the Center for Policy Studies and Agriculture Ministry last week, revolved around the Cambodian ...

Myanmar farmers are protesting against a plan they say will reduce their water supply. They say water is so short they have already been forced to abandon growing paddy and switch to beans and pulses. They demand that work to open up land around a nearby ...

Thai military officers have warned farmers to stop pumping water from Klong Makham Thao, or they will have their water pumps seized. The officers, who were sent to inspect water drainage in Klong Makham Thao running through Chai Nat province, urged farmers to cooperate with authorities ...

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has blamed past policies that heavily promoted cash crops as a root cause of floods and drought. Commenting in the latest government’s newsletter, Gen Prayut said growing cash crops without controls leads to the destruction of forests and watershed areas, and even affects ...

Thailand’s Board of Investment (BoI) is set to propose promotional packages to support “smart farmer” projects at its next board meeting. Secretary-general Hiranya Sujinai said packages should combine both the BoI’s investment privileges and other support such as finance, technical assistance and  market access development.  Keep reading ...

Lao irrigation systems that use electrical pumps to feed water into channels to farmers’ fields owe a lot of money to Electricite du Laos, the national electricity authority, with many utilities bills remaining outstanding. Deputy Director General of the Department of Irrigation under the Ministry of ...

The Thai government will step up efforts to reduce rubber plantations, particularly on encroached lands as part of measures to tackle the low rubber price.  Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said his administration will consider whether rubber plantations can be scaled down. Keep reading ...

The Thai government plans to buy rubber from farmers at a purchase price not exceeding 45 baht per kg. The projected price is about 15 baht lower than the set price demanded by  groups of rubber farmers who are calling for 60 baht per kg, roughly ...

Cheaper credit extended to Vietnamese coffee growers for replanting part of the world’s biggest robusta production will not accelerate the process that has already been hindered by lengthy paperwork, traders and analysts said on 31 December.   Vietnam aims to replace old coffee trees, now accounting for ...