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Country News
Australia/New Zealand
Cotton production set to dominate expansion of remote Australian agricultural region – One of Australia’s remotest agricultural regions would almost double in size under an ambitious plan announced by the West Australian government. Read more…
The virus threatening Australia’s tomato industry – As households grapple with cost-of-living pressure, growers are warning tomato prices could rise after the discovery of a new tomato virus. Read more…
APVMA places immediate ban on herbicide due to human health risk – The APVMA announced all use of chlorthal dimethyl, best known under the trade name Dacthal, would be banned immediately, primarily due to risks to unborn babies. Read more…
New South Wales seed vault protects agricultural heritage – A Wagga Wagga seed vault is preserving seeds and grains for up to 100 years and is gaining international attention. Read more…
China
China’s first provincial germplasm resource bank now fully operational – China’s first provincial germplasm resource bank, located in Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, is now fully operational, according to the Science and Technology Daily on Monday. Read more…
Vietnam and China sign deals including agri trade to QR code payments – Ten agreements sealed during Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s 3-day visit to Hanoi. Read more…
Vice Minister Ma Youxiang Meets with International Sustainability and Agriculture Officials – Ma Youxiang, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, met separately with Stanley Loh Ka Leung, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment of Singapore, Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), in Beijing on Oct. 11. Read more…
China’s road to agricultural self-sufficiency: reshaping markets, creating opportunities – China, a major demand center and driver of global agricultural markets, is actively pursuing an ambitious goal of achieving self-sufficiency in agriculture, but not without disrupting markets. Read more…
India
Agri officers update HC on pesticide use ban – Nagpur: In response to a directive from the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court, district agriculture superintendents from Nagpur, Bhandara, Gondia, and Chandrapur submitted affidavits on Wednesday detailing measures taken to combat the use of harmful pesticides in farms. Read more…
Minister discusses Punjab agriculture policy with farmers’ unions – The measures proposed in the policy include promoting crop diversification, providing a legal guarantee for the minimum support price (MSP), offering one-time debt settlements for farmers, introducing a pension plan for small farmers and farm workers, implementing special debt waivers for small and marginal farmers, among other initiatives. Read more…
India’s cotton output to fall on lower area, excess rain – India’s cotton output is expected to drop by 7.4% to 30.2 million bales in 2024/25 due to reduced planting area and excessive rainfall damage. This may lead to increased imports, rising to 2.5 million bales from 1.75 million, and a decrease in exports to 1.8 million bales from 2.85 million. Read more…
Bayer, Mitsubishi, Shell, Temasek to generate carbon credits for farmers – Four big global companies — Bayer, GenZero (a wholly-owned arm of financial major Temasek), Shell and Mitsubishi — have decided to scale up their carbon credit programme in nine states to empower farmers. Read more…
Bayer in pact with Samunnati to enhance farmer productivity and profitability – Bayer, a global enterprise with competencies in the life science fields of healthcare and agriculture, has partnered with Samunnati, an agri value chain enabler company, to empower FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations) with access to quality agri-inputs and transfer of good agricultural practices to enhance rural livelihoods and farm incomes. Read more…
Indonesia
Minister commits to achieving food self-sufficiency in Indonesia – Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Agriculture Minister, Andi Amran Sulaiman, has pledged to transform the country into a food-sovereign nation by boosting production and expanding agricultural areas. Read more…
Indonesia’s Agriculture sector resilient amid medium-term risks – Indonesia’s agriculture sector is navigating a period of substantial challenges, with factors such as volatile weather patterns, global commodity price fluctuations, and domestic structural issues presenting immediate obstacles. However, strong domestic consumption and strategic government initiatives should continue to maintain the sector’s vital role in the Indonesian economy. Read more…
Korea
Korean Smart Farming Technologies Draw Special Attention from Middle East – Sejong, 15 October 2024 — The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) held a ‘K-smart farm roadshow’ in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the State of Kuwait, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 7 to 14 October 2024 to ensure that K-smart farms can be more widely recognized in the Middle Eastern market. At the trade show, 12 Korean smart farm companies and 50 buyers had 369 business meetings to create export and import opportunities. Read more…
South Korea boosts cabbage supply for kimchi amid heat wave – South Korea’s government said on Wednesday that it will ensure 24,000 tonnes of cabbage are supplied from national stocks to provide support during the upcoming peak kimchi-making season after blaming unusually hot weather for affecting the cabbage crop. Read more…
S. Korea Expands Exports of Agri-food Products and Fights Counterfeit Food Products – On 25 September, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) held a meeting with exporting companies and export-related public agencies to discuss ways to expand exports of K-Food Plus*. At the meeting, both sides shared the export volumes recorded from January through September this year and discussed an export plan. Read more…
* K-Food Plus (K-Food+) is a term referring to agri-food products, combined with the products from related forward- and backward-linked industries (e.g. smart farms, agricultural equipment, pet food, veterinary medicine, etc.). Agri-food products means processed and non-processed food products, excluding aquatic food products.
Malaysia
Budget 2025’s Significant Agricultural Funding set to propel Sabah’s Rice Industry – Academician – Sabah received a development allocation of RM6.7 billion, one of the highest among the states, with notable attention given to the development of basic infrastructure and the agricultural sector. Read more…
Government to explore potential Rice Bowl areas in Sabah, Sarawak – The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) is exploring potential areas in Sabah and Sarawak to be developed as national ‘jelapang padi’ (rice bowl area), aiming to boost the country’s rice production. Read more…
Pakistan
Finance Minister Pitches Pakistan’s Agriculture, IT, Energy Sectors to US, UAE Investors – Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb attended the Roundtable with Institutional Investors organized by Jefferies International. Read more…
Foreign training programme reviewed for 1,000 agriculture professionals – Islamabad: Planning and development minister Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday assessed the plan for short-term training of 1,000 agriculture professionals in China and underscored the need to prioritise individuals with the highest potential to ensure a strong return on investment from the initiative. Read more…
Philippines
DAR program seeks more female farmers – THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has partnered with a foreign donor to empower 175,000 women as female farmers to take center stage in a P6.2-billion poverty alleviation and food security project in January 2025. Read more…
Philippines, Laos to ink agriculture pact next year – MANILA, Philippines — The government is looking at signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on agricultural cooperation with Laos next year to boost ties between the two Southeast Asian neighbors. Read more…
DA, FAO collaborate to strengthen food security – MANILA, Philippines — Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has met with the head of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in a bid to strengthen collaboration towards food security. Read more…
Taiwan
“Taiwan-Nuffield International Agricultural Dialogue & Networking” event opens up new horizons for agricultural cooperation between Taiwan and Australia – The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), the Australian Office Taipei, and Nuffield International (NI) held the “Taiwan-Nuffield International Agricultural Dialogue and Networking” event on September 27. This activity marked the first time that the scholarship program of the Australian branch of NI, Nuffield Australia (NA), focused on researching the current situation of Taiwan’s agricultural sector. Read more…
Ministry of Agriculture celebrates success of World Food Day 2024 – Тhе Міnіѕtrу оf Аgrісulturе, Fооd Ѕесurіtу, аnd Еntеrрrіѕе іѕ ехtеndіng grаtіtudе tо еvеrуоnе whо јоіnеd fоr Wоrld Fооd Dау 2024 оn Осtоbеr 18th аt thе Сеntrаl Fаrm Rеѕеаrсh Ѕtаtіоn. Read more…
Thailand
Thai rice exports expected to be higher this year as India stays away – Association president Chookiat Ophaswongse told Krungthep Turakij that the impact of the floods on rice production was not clear yet, saying the country’s most important rice plots in the Northeast have not been impacted by the floods. Read more…
Irish agri-food agency aims to strengthen ties with Thailand – Bord Bia, the Irish government agency responsible for promoting, developing and marketing Irish food, drink and horticulture, has pledged to strengthen its ties with Thailand through the agri-food sector. Read more…
Singapore
Local farms push ahead with international collaborations to further S’pore’s 30 by 30 plan – SINGAPORE – Mr Webster Tham, co-founder of local agri-technology company Tomato Town, is looking to harvest Japanese cherry tomatoes and heirloom varieties of tomatoes through a collaboration with a Japanese company that makes tomato-based foods and vegetable juices. Read more…
Vietnam
Increasing Vietnam’s resilience to climate change through implementation of biotechnology –
(VAN) Vietnam should persist in its comprehensive evaluation of its legal framework and the introduction of new crop varieties to implement a novel strategy consistent with today’s requirements. Read more…
The Philippines is optimistic about the future of agricultural cooperation with Vietnam – (VAN) The third meeting of the Vietnam-Philippines Joint Committee for Agricultural Cooperation (JCA) took place from October 15 to 16, marking an important milestone in the relationship between the two countries. Read more…
When farmers embrace technology – (VAN) For the first time, farmers in southern Ba Don witnessed aerial seeding and fertilization. Unusual excitement arose from the day they sowed seeds to the day they weighed the rice and counted their earnings. Read more…
Income of over 71 million VND per person per year thanks to circular agriculture – (VAN) A commune with a population of 16,000, once purely agricultural, now boasts an income exceeding 71 million VND per person annually, piquing my curiosity. Read more…
Minister Le Minh Hoan: Agriculture in the first nine months shows many positive signs – (VAN) Minister Le Minh Hoan pointed out that the agricultural sector has exhibited a majority of positive statistics, which are evidence of its growth in the face of significant obstacles. Read more…
Agriculture is the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Vietnam – (VAN) The 2024 Sustainable Food Forum aims for a Net Zero goal, focusing on the development of sustainable agriculture, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and protecting the environment. Read more…
Soybean output seen rising by 7% – (VAN) Although revised slightly higher from the previous forecast, total grains ending stocks are projected at a 10-year low of 584 million
Plant Science Updates
MARA Issues New and Renewed Biosafety Certificates for GE Crops in China
FSANZ Calls for Public Comments on Food Derived from GM Corn MZIR260
China’s innovative satellite mission aims to enhance food security
The potential of the RiceMoRe digital ecological system
Gene Editing to Produce Bacterial Blight Resistant Cassava
Farmers in Bangladesh Call for Awareness Campaigns and Programs on GM Crops
China Expands Application of Genetically Modified Microorganisms Derived Products in Food Processing
Genetic tweaks can make oats more nutritious, increase shelf life
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