Agriculture and fishing
Rohingya trafficking victims endure stress of limbo, stranded in Thailand
The strapping 23-year-old Rohingya Muslim was matter of fact as he described being forced onto a boat in Myanmar for a tortuous two-month-long journey, beaten and kicked by traffickers as he watched scores die of starvation and thirst along the way. He said he was abandoned in ...
Myanmar fishermen agree to return to Indonesia for long-sought justice
Fishermen who had been enslaved and abused onboard illicit trawlers plying far-flung Indonesian islands will soon be headed back to the nation where they were held captive for up to a decade. This time they’re after justice, and will take part in a lawsuit against one ...
Indonesian Govt pushes joint ASEAN efforts on illegal fishing
Almost a year after placing a ban on renewals of licenses for large, foreign-built fishing vessels, the Indonesian Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry is devising a post-moratorium national plan of action that will focus on strengthening Indonesia’s maritime policies in the context of regional integration. Keep ...
Thai fishing trawlers unloading catch in Cambodia
More than 200 fishing trawlers from Trat province are now docking and unloading their catches in Cambodia’s adjoining Koh Kong province to evade the strict regulations being enforced against unregistered vessels and fishing equipment in Thailand. Keep reading ...
Cambodia drought spawns fish fears
Fishing communities along two of Cambodia’s principle rivers say their livelihoods are threatened by droughts that have reduced water levels and devastated fish numbers. “The Tonle Sap is 3 metres lower than last year,” Long Sochhet, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Fishing Communities, said on ...
Thai Government tells rice farmers to choose another crop
The government has called on farmers across the country to grow plants that require less water than rice amid the ongoing risk of drought. “Farmers, for example, can grow corn-for-animal feed and pods instead,” government spokesman Maj-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said on 4 October. Keep reading ...
Thailand to tap rice stockpile to maintain export levels
Rice exports from Thailand may be steady next year as the world’s biggest shipper taps state inventories to offset a possible decline in production amid dry weather. Keep reading ...
Vietnam fruits lose ground to Thai imports even as ASEAN threat looms
Vietnamese fruit sellers are selling more Thai vegetables, making it harder for local vegetable growers to compete. Thailand is now the largest exporter of vegetables and fruits to Vietnam after surpassing China early last year. Be, who has a fruit shop on Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Can Tho, ...
Vietnam fruit farmers unprepared for ASEAN
Economist Le Dang Doanh warned that Vietnamese farm produce would face fiercer competition from other countries in the region when the ASEAN Economic Community is born at the end of this year. Keep reading ...
Thai rice illegally imported into Myanmar
As domestic rice prices increase, cheaper and higher quality rice is now being illegally imported from Thailand, Myanmar rice traders say. Speculation over rice shortages since nationwide flooding in July and August increased transportation costs in some areas, and high production costs for farmers have driven ...