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Food and agriculture

Most consumers prefer sweeter fresh tomatoes. Photo: EPA

Chinese scientists modify tomatoes to make them ‘significantly sweeter’

Glucose and fructose levels were 30 per cent higher after researchers removed two genes that regulate sugar content, according to study.

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Could ‘Peace Beans’ trade enrich US, China agricultural supply-chain diplomacy?

US farmers sign big deals at CIIE expo, easing concerns about scale of trade war

Coffee researcher spills the beans on new varieties being bred

World Coffee Research head Jennifer Long’s goal is to diversify coffee production to benefit farmers and drinkers. New beans are on the way.

Researchers are developing new coffee varieties to benefit farrmers and drinkers. Photo: Shutterstock

Halal pet food: meat-ing the needs of Southeast Asia’s Muslim ‘pawrents’

Southeast Asia’s growing cohort of Muslim pet owners are prioritising halal options.

Letters | Is Hong Kong ready for the advent of robots in daily life?

Readers discuss the need for legislation to prevent misuse of robots, service standards on Hong Kong buses, and the impact of surging food prices.

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Could Japan seaweed be a new supercrop?

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Argentine beef exports hit highest level in more than 5 decades

Data showed that January-to-September beef exports totalled nearly 700,000 metric tons, with nearly 70 per cent bought by Chinese buyers.

Though China trade outlook cloudy, US official says agriculture a silver lining

Although Donald Trump’s re-election likely means rocky US-China trade, a US official has named agriculture as one area of cooperation.

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Global food companies target worldly Chinese consumers, CIIE attendees say

CIIE participants say Chinese consumers want high-quality milk and additive-free food products.

The Goodman Fielder booth at the CIIE in Shanghai. Photo: Mia Castagnone

Indonesia to import 1 million dairy cows for Prabowo’s free meals scheme

The government forecasts milk demand will hit 8.5 million tonnes by 2029. Indonesia’s current milk output is estimated at 1 million tonnes.

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Dairy cows drink from a trough after being milked at a farm in the US. Photo: AP

Opinion | Why China will struggle to achieve food security goal despite smart plans

The country is facing food security challenges as a result of factors ranging from changing diets and climate threats to supply chain uncertainties.

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Exclusive | Friends again, Australia sends largest trade group to Shanghai fair

Almost 70 per cent of the businesses in Australia’s group represent the food and beverage sector.

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All eyes on agro-diplomacy as China’s food-security needs open new import doors

Upcoming China International Import Expo will highlight need to strike a balance with trading partners as appetite of world’s biggest food consumer hits record highs.

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Illustration: Victor Sanjinez Garcia

Outside In | Italian fuss about China’s tiny tomato exports has bigger implications

Tomatoes are only China’s 708th biggest export. But the world is realising China can swamp markets with even small output shifts.

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Customers choosing tomatoes at a morning market in Beijing in 2023. China’s tomato industry was developed to help lift farmers in Xinjiang out of poverty. Photo: Reuters

US spots 1st H5N1 bird flu case in a pig, raising concern for humans

There is concern that hybrid viruses can emerge from pigs with characteristics that allow them to infect humans more easily.

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Chinese investors sour on Bordeaux winery investments

They dreamed of elegant living in France and good earnings from selling their wine in China. Now many investors have given up or want out.

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A salty secret of Xinjiang grasslands is solved, and it’s time to graze the roof

Years of research have yielded productive plains that offer China more food security in the face of geopolitical upheaval and extreme weather.

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Thousands of hectares of salt-rich land have been made arable on the Pamirs Plateau of China’s Xinjiang, making it easier to feed livestock in the autonomous region. Photo: Xinhua

AI tool can tell if my pig is happy or sad. It’s science at work

Scientists have come up with an algorithm that can decode the squeals, grunts and oinks that pigs make to help farmers improve their welfare.

Vietnamese lobsters claw back to prominence in China after temporary dip

Following a sharp decline last year, China’s imports of lobsters from Vietnam have returned to healthy levels with the same speed.

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China considering space facility location based on security in times of war

Advantages of coastal operation outweighed by ‘strategic hinterland’ policy in preferred site for massive commercial space facility.

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A Long March-3B carrier rocket carrying navigation satellites blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre on September 19. Photo: Getty Images

Governments must stop funding cruel octopus farms, campaigners say

Octopuses are intelligent, solitary creatures, and governments must stop funding ‘cruel and unsustainable’ octopus farms, reformers say.

Octopuses are intelligent and solitary creatures and governments need to stop funding cruel octopus farms, says Compassion in World Farming. Photo: Shutterstock

Indonesia’s palm oil farmers fear higher costs after EU deforestation law delay

The world’s biggest palm oil producer plans to hold more talks with the EU ahead of its deforestation law taking effect on December 30, 2025.

12 more Hong Kong patients found to have infection linked to freshwater fish

Five men and seven women, aged between 49 and 97, test positive for ST 283 strain of potentially deadly Group B Streptococcus infection.

Editorial | Deal on monitoring Japan’s Fukushima water best way forward

Hong Kong to follow up agreement between Beijing and Tokyo over nuclear plant discharges that brought seafood ban.

Japan began releasing treated radioactive water into the sea from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant more than a year ago. Photo: Kyodo

Farmers have a bone to pick with South Korea over dog meat ban as anger grows

Stakeholders argue the government’s compensation and transition plans are unrealistic amid calls for concrete exit strategies.

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Dogs in a cage at a farm in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. Photo: AP

Hong Kong’s Vitasoy sees young talent as key ingredient in sustainability push

“We are at the beginning of the journey and we need help,” CEO Roberto Guidetti says as company works on climate-transition goals.

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US bans Chinese steel, food-additives firms over Xinjiang human rights

Latest additions to Uygur Forced Labour Prevention Act’s entity list show American drive to rid its supply chain of forced labour presses on.

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Food and agriculture
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on food and agriculture, with a focus on Hong Kong, mainland China and Asia.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
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