Environment and land

The increased cultivation area of Kampot pepper has offset losses due to drought, with farmers of the premium quality peppercorn estimating that production could reach 80 tonnes in the coming harvest, nearly 40 per cent more than last season. “Even though our farms were impacted by ...

Ten representatives of 318 families in Koh Kong on 12 November filed a petition with the Senate and the National Assembly, asking the government to intervene in their land dispute with Chinese company Union Development Group. Keep reading ...

Thailand’s rice situation is stable thanks to several pending purchase orders under government-to-government (G-to-G) contracts with the Philippines and China, president Charoen Laothammatas said on 11 November.  He expects Thai paddy prices will remain steady at 8,000 to 8,500 baht a tonne next year. Keep reading ...

Expensive and unreliable electricity continues to weigh down Cambodia’s ranking on the UN-accredited World Energy Council’s annual Energy Trilemma Index, according to a report released on 11 November. The Kingdom ranked a low 115 out of 130 countries on the annual index, which assesses countries according ...

With the rainy season petering out, mining companies are gearing up to resume full operations on prospects in northern and eastern Cambodia, with investors keeping a close watch as firms push to expand their resource estimates and the country prepares to open its first royalty-bearing ...

Laos’ Ministry of Industry and Commerce has imposed an export ban on logs and unprocessed sawn wood following the prohibition instruction given by the government. The move aims to add value to wood resources by processing them domestically before they are exported. Recently, the ministry issued an order ...

Ho Chi Minh City has asked for the central government’s help in taking out loans worth around US$380 million for a major dredging program to deepen one of its key waterways, local media reported on 9 November.   The Soai Rap, a tributary of the Saigon River, ...

Myanmar’s first central rubber market will be built at Mawlamyine in Mon State as authorities seek to help the industry amid low prices and sluggish sales. Mon State is the country’s top rubber producer and the commodity is considered a “promising export” in Myanmar’s National Export ...

Thailand’s state-owned Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) has launched three financial support programmes to help shore up paddy prices during the 2015-2016 harvest season.  Keep reading ...

The Asian Development Bank will loan Cambodia $64 million for two projects covering irrigation upgrades and malaria control, according to an ADB statement released on 10 November. Keep reading ...