Agriculture and fishing
Vietnam to resume importing Australian oranges, tangerines and grapes from August
Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has said resumed permission for importing three Australian fruits including oranges, tangerines and grapes is expected to be given on 1 August. Keep reading ...
Report slams push for rubber
Protected areas and other biodiversity hotspots across Southeast Asia are increasingly under threat from expanding rubber plantations, with Cambodia at risk of losing more ecologically important land than any of its neighbours, a recent study reports. According to the study, if current trends continue, Cambodia stands ...
Southern Thailand hit by weak rubber prices
At a time when little is going right for Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, Thailand is being hit hard by weak global demand for its major agricultural exports. Among the people most affected are the country’s rubber producers, suffering depressed prices since January 2014. After surging to more ...
Lao farmers devastated by severe drought
A lack of rainfall and scorching heat is destroying the livelihoods of Lao farmers, who say their crops are dying amid an ongoing drought in the Southeast Asian region linked to the El Niño phenomenon. The drought since May has left those in Laos who rely on ...
Protecting biodiversity: Transparency a major concern in maintaining Inlay Lake
Inlay Lake is one of Myanmar’s natural beauties and a tourist draw. But the ecological situation of the lake is deteriorating at a dramatic rate due to the run-off from the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides, deforestation and climate change. The lake is an important ...
Bangkok faces water use limits
Tough water conservation measures for state agencies and households in Bangkok and surrounding areas could be introduced to address the water scarcity crisis. The proposal comes amid criticism the government has forced farmers to bear the burden of the crisis by banning agricultural water use without substantial ...
Thai Government poised to launch water donation plan
The government plans to ask people to donate drinking water to drought-stricken residents, deputy government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd says. The cabinet will discuss the donation campaign. Water distribution points will be set up under an initiative of His Majesty the King in drought-hit areas in various ...
Villagers petition Cambodian lawmakers for help with land dispute cases
About 200 villagers involved in land disputes in three provinces have protested outside Cambodia’s parliament building in Phnom Penh, demanding that lawmakers resolve their cases and threatening not to vote for those who turn down their requests. The villagers from Sihanoukville, Svay Rieng, and Takeo provinces ...
Farmers defy ban, continue to pump water
Farmers in several drought-stricken provinces in the Chao Phraya River basin have spurned the government’s calls to halt pumping water for agricultural use. The move came as water discharges from four major dams in the Chao Phraya River basin are being gradually cut from 28 million cubic metres per ...
Myanmar rice traders hope slowdown of Chinese buyers is temporary
The arrest of several Chinese buyers for tax evasion and the weakening Chinese economy is hurting trade with Myanmar’s largest rice export market, said U Soe Tun, vice chair of the Myanmar Rice Federation. China is the destination for over half of Myanmar’s rice exports. This ...
