Agriculture and fishing
Shortages push up cashew price
The price of fresh cashews has jumped by about 30 percent over the price last year due to shortages of the nut and the fact that the harvest will not get into full swing until early next month. A lack of investment in technology to ...
What happens when the soy and palm oil boom ends?
Over the past thirty years demand and production of oils crops like oil palm and soybeans has boomed across the tropics thanks to rising incomes, macroeconomic changes and government policies, and substitution effects. This rapid expansion has in some places taken a heavy toll on ...
Pak Beng inquiry sought
Environment Ministry official Eang Sophalleth said on February 20 that he has made a request to the Mekong River Commission that Laos adequately investigate the potential impacts of the proposed Pak Beng hydropower dam ahead of a meeting this week. State news agency AKP on February ...
Laos, China and neigbouring countries discuss locust outbreak in Laos
High-level officials from Laos, China, Vietnam and Thailand have discussed cooperation efforts in the prevention and control of the yellow-spined bamboo locust outbreak in Laos. A consultation workshop on the management of the yellow-spined bamboo locust outbreak in Laos for 2017 took place on February ...
Concerns accounted for in Xayaboury hydropower development, EU told
All concerns have been taken into account in the development of the Xayaboury run-off-river hydropower plant the project developer recently relayed to European Union Ambassador to Laos, Leon Paul Faber. The ambassador, who took office in September last year, and his delegates visited the construction ...
All imported raw prawns to be pulled for white spot testing; fears that prices will rise
There are fears the price of prawns is about to go “through the roof” following a decision by the Federal Government to recall all imported raw prawns. The importation of green, or uncooked, prawns into Australia was suspended in January, but prawn farmers have expressed ...
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 ...
Three fish species known as ‘sea monsters’ in danger of extinction
Ca ho (Catlocarpio siamensis), vo co (Pangaius sannitwongsei) and tra dau (Pangasianodon gigas) living in the Mekong Delta are all large-size fish which can reach 300 kilos in weight and three meters in length. They are all in danger of extinction. As they have enormous ...
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 ...
Illegal fishing blamed for protected turtle death
An adult female royal turtle, among 21 of the endangered species released into the wild with installed microchips and GPS transmitters in 2015, has been found dead due to illegal electrofishing in Koh Kong province’s Sre Ambel district. According to the Wildlife Conservation Society on February ...
