Environment and land
Mekong blighted by river erosion
The Mekong Delta, home to some 18 million inhabitants, is plagued by severe riverbank erosion, which has been blamed on climate change and human factors. Unrelenting rain last month washed away riverbanks in Hoà Định Hamlet in Đồng Tháp Province’s Lai Vung District, causing several ...
Low-carbon economy in VN’s updated NDC
Việt Nam plans to develop a low-carbon economy and include climate-change resistance work in its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for the Paris climate accords.Keep reading ...
Malaysian government to ban export of rubberwood from July 1
The government will ban the export of rubberwood effective July 1, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong. Dr Wee said on Thursday that the decision was made to address the shortage of raw materials faced by the Malaysian ...
Funds needed for hi-tech agriculture
Agricultural productivity and quality should be increased by investing more in innovation and strengthening links between all stakeholders, including farmers, enterprises and research institutes, experts say. At a seminar held in Hà Nội on Tuesday, they also said that access to land, capital and markets were ...
Cassava prices hit a new low
Cassava prices in Cambodia experienced a sharp drop this month leading to heavy losses for smallholder farmers unable to quickly switch to more profitable crops and recoup their mounting losses, a provincial agriculture official said yesterday.Faced with low prices of around 144 riel ($0.035) per ...
Demarcation complete, Luang Prabang eyes investment to push SEZ project ahead
Development of a US$1.2 billion special economic zone (SEZ) in Luang Prabang province has faced delays attributed to project demarcation now completed while its developer seeks further investment and financial backing. The plans for the zone include a 23-storey building, schools, hospitals, shopping centre, bank, ...
Gov’t: public should be consulted on coal power
The government is currently streamlining its policy for the power sector to ensure the country’s energy security and coal can be one of the options, according to Daw Mi Mi Khaing, director general of Department of Electric Power Planning under the Ministry of Electricity and ...
A wetland laid to waste
Fires tore through the Tonle Sap wetlands last year, destroying an estimated third of the seasonally flooded forests that surround the lake. The loss of the trees, which are breeding grounds for freshwater fish, poses an existential threat to the area’s ecology and to the ...
Illegal logging a perennial problem in Vietnam despite premier’s order
Natural forests in Vietnam continue to fall victim to illegal logging, despite orders from the prime minister to shut down access to at-risk areas last year. Following a directive from PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc in late June 2016, local authorities are no longer permitted to ...
Vietnam’s black pepper race persists notwithstanding price dip
Though per-kilogram prices of black pepper in Vietnam have dropped 65 percent since their record high two years ago, local growers are still racing to increase production. After peaking at VND200,000 ($8.81) per kilogram in 2015, the price of black pepper in Vietnam has plummeted ...
