Agriculture
Agricultural commodities, processing and products
White spot in prawns the latest in biosecurity failures highlighting impact of cuts to staff, research
After a huge increase in exotic pests and diseases, Australian agriculture and environmentalists are demanding more focus on biosecurity. The past five years of failures ranges from the attacking red fire ants, banana diseases, myrtle rust and a melon disease to an exotic disease in ...
Opportunities exist for rice exports in high-end market
Experts believe that Vietnam should focus on producing high-quality rice instead of striving to earn money from selling low-cost rice products. Soon after Vietnam began harvesting the 2016-2017 winter-spring crop, the Thai government announced it planned to sell all its stockpiled rice – estimated at 8 ...
Paddy prices rise as winter-spring crop ready for harvest
Domestic paddy prices have increased by 12 per cent as the winter-spring crop in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta is ready to be harvested. In An Giang Province, fresh paddy IR50404 is being sold at VNĐ4,500-4,600 per kilo, high-quality paddy VNĐ4,700-4,800, and dried high-quality paddy ...
Xayaboury banana farms ordered to cease operations
Five companies with banana plantations in Xayaboury province have been ordered to stop growing the fruit, but can still plant other replacement crops in compliance with regulations. Four of the companies affected are Chinese backed with banana farms located around the villages of Phonthong, Namtuan, ...
Government plugs rubber switch
The government is seeking intrepid smallholder farmers to pilot a project that would transform 6,000 hectares of cropland in two provinces into a patchwork of small rubber plantations. The Ministry of Agriculture is eyeing 5,000 hectares of land in Ratanakkiri and 1,000 hectares in Battambang ...
Firm putting drones to work on farms
After the technician’s countdown, “moi, pi, bai”, an AS-III fixed-wing drone launches off a catapult into the air, ascending rapidly at 25 metres per second until it is high above the Cambodian countryside. The drone, equipped with a special camera capable of detecting what the ...
Free training on natural food production in Nay Pyi Taw
Training methods for the production of food and cosmetics from natural fruit will be offered free of charge in the Nay Pyi Taw Union Territory. Small Scale Industry Department under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation director U Swe Tint said the plan to ...
Bird flu hits poultry markets in major Chinese city: Media
Authorities in China’s third-largest city warned that about 30 percent of its live poultry markets were contaminated with the H7N9 avian flu virus, as an eastern province ordered markets to shut, state media reported on February 11. East China’s Zhejiang province has ordered all markets ...
Thailand supports animal feed project in Laos
The Thai government is continuing to support two projects related to the animal feed quality control and also fish diseases. The two countries reached agreement to commence the project in 2010, at a cost of 13 million Thai baht (about three billion kip), with the ...
Nation sets sights on trade policy improvement
Laos will continue to be active in improving its regulations and work plan to adapt to the World Trade Organisation rules after the country became a member in 2013. Despite Laos’ membership status, there are still many issues which need to be improved in order ...