Trade

Vietnam plans to gradually reduce rice production and switch to other more profitable crops, a plan that experts say makes sense since the country grows so much paddy and is a massive exporter of the unprofitable crop. The National Assembly’s Economic Committee recently agreed with the ...

Softer growth prospects for China and a weak recovery in major industrial economies are expected to suppress economic growth in developing Asia and cut Thailand’s growth by half a percentage point, according to an Asian Development Bank report released March 30.  Keep reading ...

Provincial authorities in Tboung Khmum province on 26 March said they discovered 17 tonnes of illegal rosewood hidden on a commune chief’s family’s land, only to have a mob of armed local residents break into the property that night and steal potential evidence. Keep reading ...

Thai exports grew in February for the first time in 14 months, thanks to two unusual items — helicopters and an eight-fold increase from a month earlier in gold shipments. In February, customs-cleared exports rose 10.27% from a year earlier, the Commerce Ministry said on Friday. ...

Myanmar’s financial regulator has ended state-owned banks’ monopoly on providing foreign currency accounts for state-owned firms, opening a new market to private lenders – both local and international – that could potentially bring vast amounts of public money into the wider banking system. Keep reading ...

With Cambodia’s storied silk industry in rapid decline, the government is looking to revitalise the sector with a new development strategy aimed at making local sericulture more modern, sustainable and inclusive, officials said during a recent industry event. Keep reading ...

The local cashew industry has seen a spike in cashew prices, marking a 10 year record high, mostly due to increasing global prices. Keep reading ...

The Ministry of Agriculture has rejected a request from private-sector rubber firms – led by agricultural tycoon Mong Reththy – for a meeting to discuss the floundering fortunes of the nation’s rubber sector, claiming the ministry was busy and was already addressing the issue. The rejection ...

State-controlled Gia Dinh Textile and Garment Company has sold more than 15 million shares, equivalent to a stake 24.28 percent, for over VND155.8 billion (US$6.89 million) in an initial public offering. Keep reading ...

The Lao and Vietnamese governments agreed on 16 March to increase the two countries’ bilateral import-export turnover to US$3 billion by 2020, the Vietnam News reported on 17 March. The agreement was reached during talks between Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung ...