Agriculture and fishing
Public debt drops B24.3bn in January
Public debt dropped by 24.3 billion baht in January from the month before, leaving the country owing of 5.98 trillion baht, according to latest data released by the Public Debt Management Office in Thailand. Keep reading ...
Samrin sends questions over Vietnam’s army ELCs to PM
More than a month after rejecting a letter from an opposition lawmaker pressing the government for answers about plantations in Cambodia’s Ratanakiri province controlled by the Vietnamese army, National Assembly President Heng Samrin this week forwarded a revised version to Prime Minister Hun Sen. Keep reading ...
Rice body steps up to the plate

Responding to criticism, Cambodia’s apex rice industry body announced on 9 March that it would submit a plan to Prime Minister Hun Sen that addresses two of the major challenges facing the Kingdom’s rice sector – competition from rice imports and access to finance for millers. Keep ...
Experts urge action to end mass fish kills
Massive fish die-offs in many regions across the country recently have raised a big question about how local authorities should mitigate water pollution in aquaculture breeding areas.Last month, more than 1,000 tonnes of fish raised in cages along the Cai Vung River in the southern ...
Revised rubber export tax scheme criticised

Rubber producers said on 6 March the Cambodian government’s decision to amend the export tax scheme on natural rubber fell short of expectations and would do little to stem the losses of farmers as rubber prices hover near a six-year low. Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a ...
Brazil challenges Thai sugar 'subsidies'

Brazil will challenge Thailand at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over “subsidies” for sugar producers that it says have dragged down global prices, the Trade Ministry said. Brazil said the Thai government had given support to cane growers and sugar mills that was inconsistent with international trade ...
Thai Government adjusts water plan to battle drought

Thailand’s Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry has adjusted its water distribution plan after the water in 10 main dams across the country receded to critical levels. Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chatchai Sarikulya said on 2 March the water discharge plan of each dam has been tweaked to cope with ...
Millers, exporters take on rice federation

A newly formed coalition of rice millers and exporters has raised alarm bells, forecasting the imminent “collapse” of Cambodia’s rice sector within two years and blaming in part “governance failure” by the industry’s apex body. The 18-member group, whose initiative is called the Rice Industry Strategic ...
Mission to Seafarers expands with new center in Myanmar

The city of Yangon in Myanmar is home to the Mission to Seafarers’ newest port facility. The Anglican mission agency’s newest mission centre was dedicated on 28 February during a service at Holy Trinity Cathedral in Yangon (formerly known as Rangoon). The new facility is located ...
Crop insurance takes root

A pilot project that offers micro-insurance to help rice farmers cope with the risks of flooding and drought is looking to build on the success of its first season by scaling up beyond three existing provinces. The Cambodia Micro Agriculture Insurance Scheme (CAMAIS), launched in the ...