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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 firefighter monitors flames caused by the Hughes Fire in California, in January 2025. Scientists fear El Nino will exacerbate the heat of a planet already warming from burning fossil fuels. Photo: AP
Extreme weather

El Nino is back – and it could be ‘one for the history books’

The weather event – which can bring droughts, floods and record temperatures – has officially arrived, and could grow to peak strength.

Thailand

Once world’s largest, Thai shrimp industry on the edge as Malaysia bans imports

Food and Drinks

The magic of mushrooms, from foraging to fine dining

Science

Chinese team injects moss gene into Xinjiang cotton to beat fungus, boost output

Scientists report potential to boost cotton yield by nearly a quarter after inserting stress-resistance gene from a species of steppe moss.

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A team led by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography say they genetically modified cotton for resistance to “cotton cancer”. Photo: Xinhua
China trade

How China’s blueberry boom is reaching Southeast Asia on faster trade links

The fruit is heading to Asean markets on the China-Laos Railway, supported by the world’s largest free trade agreement.

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US-China trade war

US farm chief says reliance on China threatens American ‘freedom’

Agriculture secretary’s warning comes as tariffs weigh on China trade and Hormuz disruptions drive up fuel and fertiliser costs.

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Thailand

‘Lowest point’: Thai shrimp industry reels from Malaysia import ban

The ban comes as Thailand’s embattled fisheries sector faces increased competition, tariffs, shrimp disease, rising costs and reduced catch.

Thailand’s shrimp industry has struggled to control disease outbreaks, which hammer harvests and drive down export volumes. Malaysia’s export ban has added to its woes. Photo: Shutterstock
China-Latin America relations

‘I will sell to someone else’: Brazil’s Lula hits back at US after China beef win

The president also branded Rubio a ‘frustrated Latino’ and vowed Brazil would ‘not be treated as an insignificant little republic’ by the US.

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China food security

China’s new plan to feed 1.4 billion people: AI, gene editing and edible algae

Beijing’s latest agriculture plan focuses on harnessing frontier technologies – from AI and gene editing to alternative food sources.

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China-Latin America relations

China opens door to all Brazilian beef, then slams it with a 55% surtax

Recognition lifts a long-standing sanitary barrier, but an import quota in force since January caps how far Brazilian beef sales can grow.

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A butcher weighs meat at a butcher shop in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo: AFP
China trade

Australian beef will soon be hit by 55% tariff in China, ministry says

China’s imports of Australian beef are about to surpass a quota introduced by Beijing to protect domestic farmers.

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Farmers look at cattle at a weekly livestock sale in New South Wales, Australia. China is a major export market for Australian beef producers. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan runs low on ethylene, putting bananas at risk of disappearing from homes

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has squeezed the supply of the naphtha-derived gas that Japan uses to ripen the fruit.

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Science

Why China is weaponising a ‘towering’ hybrid crop to farm where wheat fails

The crop, known as triticale, is easier to grow in challenging conditions and can provide food for both humans and animals.

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China consumption

Can social media save the wine industry from irrelevance in China?

China is drinking far less wine than a few years ago. To turn the tide, the industry must work with Chinese influencers, an insider says.

Exhibitors attend Vinexpo Asia at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The three-day trade fair features more than 1,000 exhibitors from across the wine and spirits industry. Photo: Karma Lo
2026 Xi-Trump summits

‘We want teeth in it’: US farmers wary of Xi-Trump pledge without signed deal

American growers welcome China’s renewed buying commitments, but vague terms and tariff concerns cloud optimism.

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The Burrier family farm in Frederick County, Maryland, where David Burrier says agricultural trade with China remains critical despite years of tariffs and uncertainty. Photo: Handout
China food security

China hog prices, near decade low, seen squeezing profits amid deflation risks

Ministry data reveals nine-month slump in breeding stocks while top-listed companies face big financial hits as rising fuel and grain costs erode margins.

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Banking & finance

AIIB launches US$10 billion facility to help nations hit by Iran war fallout

The new facility will help nations deal with urgent energy, food and economic resilience needs, according to the bank.

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US-China trade war

China says US agreed to a maximum tariff rate. Could the trade war be waning?

Beijing says Washington agreed to keep future trade levies at numbers set in trade talks last year.

US President Donald Trump participates in a welcome ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Prabowo tightens state grip on palm oil, coal amid monopolistic fears

A state agency will handle exports of palm oil, coal and ferroalloys to stem revenue loss and under-invoicing, the president says.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

China to purchase at least US$17 billion of US agricultural goods, White House says

The agreement was struck at the recent summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to US fact sheet.

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2026 Xi-Trump summits

Bought the farm? Details still fuzzy on scope of US-China agriculture deal

China granted five-year export licenses to 77 US beef facilities, while renewing expired licenses of 425 other plants for another five years.

Imported soybeans from Brazil are seen in a cargo vessel at a port in Yantai, in China’s eastern Shandong province. Photo: AFP
Climate change

‘Godzilla El Nino’: Southeast Asia warned of punishing climate whiplash

Experts warn the heat could increase the risk of localised flooding, put pressure on drainage systems and threaten agricultural production.

A man shields his face from the sunlight as he leaves a train station in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 29. Photo: AFP
United States

Trump says US Food and Drug Commissioner Marty Makary is out

The FDA chief’s departure follows weeks of intensifying pressure from powerful Republicans, anti-abortion groups and others.

Malaysia

Malaysia resorts to cloud seeding to save rice crop from drought

With farmers facing arid brown fields that should be flooded, Malaysia’s prime minister announced cloud-seeding operations to trigger rain.

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India

Can India’s rice farmers reap from US$30 million Amazon carbon credit deal?

The pact promises green farming and methane emission cuts, but raises questions over payouts and corporate climate accountability.

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A farm worker holds rice saplings as he prepares to plant them in a field on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India. Photo: Reuters
China economy

Outside In | Prepare for ‘China shock 3.0’ to the global food economy

Imagine China applying the same industry policy playbook for electric cars, solar panels and AI to agriculture and food self-sufficiency.

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A worker checks rice seedlings on vertical racks at an intelligent rice seedling factory on April 2 in Changsha, Hunan province. Photo: China News Service via Getty Images
China-Latin America relations

China pours US$6.1b into Brazil, making it Beijing’s top global investment

Chinese miners, carmakers and tech firms are fanned out across 20 states, putting a dent in Washington’s own push throughout the region.

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Science

Will Iran war threaten next harvest? Which countries are most at risk?

As the Hormuz blockade cuts off vital agricultural inputs, Food and Agriculture Organization official views China as key food security partner.

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