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Food and agriculture

Food and agriculture
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on food and agriculture, with a focus on Hong Kong, mainland China and Asia.
A farmer works in a paddy field during the harvest season on the outskirts of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, on Friday. Photo: EPA
US, Israel war on Iran

Risk of unrest in Asia as Iran war, El Nino threaten food supplies

Over half of countries at high risk on Verisk Maplecroft’s Food Security Index also sit at the top of its predictive Civil Unrest Index.

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Bhutan

Why Bhutan’s subsistence farmers are swapping potatoes for hazelnuts

United States

US declares end to lettuce parasite outbreak that killed 2

US-China trade war

US says China ‘on track’ to fulfil farm purchases ahead of Xi’s Washington visit

Trump administration trade official says ‘China is ramping up their purchases’ and business is progressing well between two countries.

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A farmer harvests a soybean plot in Colt, Arkansas. China has met its commitment to buy US soybeans in the 2025 season, a Trump administration trade official says. Photo: Handout
China food security

Why China’s sugar stockpiles may blunt an El Nino-fuelled global supply crunch

The major sugar importer is expected to lean on strong domestic supplies amid soaring international prices.

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Science

Chinese scientists propose turning abandoned coal mines into underground farms

Insulated from surface weather and natural disasters, mining tunnels could offer agricultural advantages amid climate change, scientists say.

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China food security

A potential food crisis threatens the world, but impact on China may be limited

El Nino fears and disruptions to Ukraine’s grain exports are driving up global crop prices, but China’s robust supplies temper the impact.

A harvester operates in a corn field in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province on Wednesday. Photo: Xinhua
Hong Kong property

Hong Kong bars, restaurants take on more floor space, boost novelty offerings

More food and beverage outlets ‘incorporating unique experiential elements into the dining journey’, says CBRE’s Lawrence Wan.

Japan

Pufferfish peril: Japan’s deadliest delicacy is getting more dangerous

Rising sea temperatures are pushing pufferfish species together, spawning hybrids that even specialist chefs cannot safely prepare.

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United States

Trump puts pressure on squeezed US oil refiners to ease pump prices

Industry executives were also asked how the US can process more Venezuelan crude.

A cyclist rides past the Chevron Products Company refinery, one of California’s largest petroleum processing facilities, in El Segundo, in April. Photo: AP
Malaysia

As rice output falls, Malaysia looks to China’s ‘2 yields, 1 land’ model

Chinese rice-prawn farms could help boost Malaysia’s farming production as it faces hurdles to meet its rice self-sufficiency goal.

Malaysian Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu (centre) visits a rice-prawn farm in the city of Wuhu in China’s eastern Anhui province in August. Photo: Facebook/Mohamad Sabu
Indonesia

Orangutan rescued from Borneo fire battles respiratory illness

Indonesia has intensified efforts to contain forest and land fires across six provinces in Borneo and Sumatra.

Hong Kong stock market

Amos Food hungry for Hong Kong capital to expand global sweets empire

The confectionery firm’s Peelerz gummies have become a viral sensation on TikTok. Now, it aims to raise funds to expand its overseas presence.

Indonesia

Indonesia takes on Malaysia in battle over palm oil pricing

Palm oil is just the start. Indonesia’s new trade exchange also aims to oversee nickel and coal export volumes, prices and taxes.

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Workers transfer palm fruits to a truck before being processed into crude palm oil at a palm plantation in Pekanbaru, Indonesia. Photo: AFP
Science

China builds world’s first custom plant immunity system for epidemic response

Tailored biological tools could enable crops to quickly develop immunity against emerging viruses, bacteria and fungi, researchers say.

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Chinese researchers say their programmable synthetic immune receptors can be introduced into plants to help them detect proteins made by specific bacteria, viruses and fungi, triggering an immune response. Photo: Xinhua
Wellness

Milk vs plant-based alternatives: 7 claims put to the test

Experts look at cow’s milk and alternatives like soy, almond and oat, comparing the benefits, allergy safety, climate impact and more.

China consumption

Chinese durian lovers rejoice as better logistics send prices lower

Improved cold-chain transport links are making durians cheaper in the world’s biggest market for the pungent tropical fruit.

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United States

Trump eases tariffs on ground beef imports for 90 days

He did not say which countries would be exporting the beef, but that there was a commitment to sell it at 25 per cent below market prices.

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Consumers shop for meat on in Chicago, Illinois in May. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
US-China trade war

How China got caught in the crossfire of a US bacon fight

A dispute over animal welfare and pork production has become the latest flashpoint in America’s increasingly heated farm politics.

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China trade

What China’s ‘no’ on Australian bean shipment says about trade ties

Incident sparks concern, but indicates China taking a proactive stance, not necessarily a gloomy forecast for relations, experts say.

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South Korea

In South Korea, some savour last season of legal dog meat

As the country nears a February 2027 nationwide ban on breeding, slaughter and sale of dogs ‌for meat, some diners turn to black goat meat.

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South Koreans toast as they eat dog meat stews during Malbok, the last of Korea’s traditional hottest days of summer, at a restaurant selling dog meat and black goat meat stews in Seongnam, South Korea on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Ukraine war

Russia warns of global food market ‘chaos’ after Ukraine hits grain terminals

Grain shipments from the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk are currently impossible because of serious damage to terminal infrastructure.

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A satellite image shows heavily damaged ships at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk in Russia, following Ukrainian strikes. Photo: Vantor/AFP
China trade

Fearing deflated China demand, US soybean growers pivot to new buyers, biofuel

With Chinese imports low according to a trade association, farmers are compensating by finding new markets and selling to biofuel makers.

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Malaysia

Palm oil to cool data centres? Malaysia explores option as water demand surges

However, the proposal has raised concerns that it could lead to an expansion of palm plantations and create an environmental burden.

Science

Fruit fusion: how will the market react to China’s lychee-longan creation?

Described as tender and crisp, Cuimi delivers about double the yield compared with Shixia longan, say developers.

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Chinese scientists have crossed a lychee with a longan, producing a hybrid fruit called Cuimi that breaks long-standing reproductive barriers between plant genera for the first time. Photo: Guangzhou Daily
Climate change

Drought declared in ‘almost three-quarters’ of England, government says

England and Wales both experienced the driest July on record, the UK’s Met Office said, with a fifth heatwave forecast for the week ahead.

People sit on a bench in dry grass at Hampstead Heath in London, Britain, on Sunday. Photo: EPA

Letters | Child nutrition in Asia is a worthy investment

Readers discuss the region’s nutrition problem, the US’ yen intervention, and the future of Bhutan’s traditional arts.

US-China relations

China buys at least 10 more cargoes of US soybeans, traders say

These are the latest in a flurry of purchases ahead of President Xi Jinping’s expected US visit in September.

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