Cooking

With the closing of the free Southeast Asian press, it's noteworthy that the Bangkok Post (Jun. 2) dares to put the following forward.

'The regime’s slogan to return happiness to the people has proven empty once again. Despite public demands for a ban, the military government has decided to allow paraquat, a highly toxic weed killer, to wreak havoc on public health and the environment. This is unacceptable and must be reversed.
...
It’s an open secret that many bureaucrats’ loyalty is not to the taxpayers who pay their salaries but to big business which makes them rich. The government is as guilty for turning a blind eye.
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Apart from paraquat, the Hazardous Substance Committee also refuses to ban the glyphosate weed killer, better known under its trade name Roundup, and the chlorpyrifos insecticide.
The committee’s reasoning against a ban is ridiculously weak. Despite a tremendous amount of research here and abroad, it insists there is still not sufficient scientific evidence confirming it to be a health hazard.
Excuse me. If it’s safe, why have 53 countries around the world including China and EU nations banned paraquat? Thailand’s neighbours, including Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, have also banned its use.
....
When research in Nan shows that all bottled water made from underground water is undrinkable, should not the government be alarmed?
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As for the government’s policy to make Thailand the “Kitchen of the World”, who will buy it when other neighbouring countries offer cleaner, safer foods?
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Sanitsuda Ekachai is former editorial pages editor, Bangkok Post'.

All quite clear, wonder how the regime would answer this.
More on the same from the Nation (Jun. 5): 

'Hundreds of activists will rally at Government House today to demand a review of the decision to not ban three dangerous farm chemicals.
On May 23, the Hazardous Substance Committee voted to restrict rather than ban the use of paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos, while claiming that their impacts on health remained debatable.
“We will submit a petition to Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha to press for the review,” Thailand Pesticide Alert Network (Thai-PAN) co-ordinator Prokchol Ousap said yesterday.
She said the representatives from more than 300 other organisations would join her network in the rally'.

The protest could have effect, the Nation (Jun. 6):

'Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Kritsada Boonyarat told protesters from more than 700 organisations, who had gathered yesterday in front of Government House, that the ministry will reconsider a previous decision to allow the use of the chemicals in Thailand by assessing new scientific data on their impact on health and the environment'.

The Nation (Jun. 5) will also have more on the use of pesticides in agriculture, starting off with a focus on the health hazards (mostly) and environment impact of pesticide use.

Bogus
Over to Cambodia and on subject, more or less. A couple of snippets. 

The Phnom Penh Post (May 9) reports on the struggles of Cambodia's rice exports:

'Cambodian rice exports have dramatically declined over the past four months compared to the same period last year, causing significant concern for the rice industry even as plans are in the works to expand exports by thousands of tonnes, according to government officials.
The data, released by the General Department of Agriculture yesterday, show that total rice exports in the first four months of this year totalled 197,354 tonnes, compared to the 212,394 tonnes exported in the same period last year, a year-on-year decrease of 7 percent'.

Then an article on May 21 noting efforts to increase storage abilities:

'Three new rice storage and drying facilities will be ready in July for the upcoming harvest season and will boost the sector’s capacity and export potential, even as the Ministry of Agriculture claimed the sector still needs more storage space to meet demand.
Constructed in Kampong Thom, Prey Veng and Takeo provinces, the facilities each have a capacity of 500,000 tonnes of raw paddy and are able to dry 1,500 tonnes of rice daily. The state-run Rural Development Bank (RDB) provided loans totalling $15 million to two companies, Khmer Food and Amru Rice for the construction of the storage spaces. The move was intended to alleviate stress on farmers and millers when stockpiles grow large during the harvest season.
Song Saran, CEO of Amru Rice, said that they received $5 million late last year to build the facility on 25,000 square metres of land in Kampong Thom province. The company also raised $3 million of its own capital to build an additional six warehouses on the plot'.

The Phnom Penh Post (Jun. 1) looks at an example of fake Cambodian rice:

'The Ministry of Commerce and Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) are investigating rice packaging that uses Angkor Wat as its logo but claims to be a “Product of Thailand”.
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Song Saran, CEO of AMRU Rice Co Ltd, said he had been aware of such bogus products for “many years”, especially in Cambodia’s export markets – the US and EU – and in other countries such as Australia.
“We informed the government many years ago about the bogus products but no action was ever taken to our knowledge,” he said.
He said it is an abuse of international trade law to use the World Heritage Site as a logo without registering with the Ministry of Commerce, and saying it was produced in Thailand or another country.

...

Data released this year by the General Department of Agriculture showed rice exports in the first four months of the year totalled 197,354 tonnes. This compares with the 212,394 tonnes exported in the same period last year, which is a year-on-year decrease of seven percent'.

I have a weakspot for articles dealing with rodent damage on paddies. This one, from IRRI's Rice Today (May 30) looks at Cambodia:

'In Cambodia, rice farmers use an array of techniques to manage rodent pests. Many rely on rodenticides or electric fences despite the associated risks to people and animals.
Electric fencing, powered by a 12V battery, is not only risky for humans but also a costly and time-consuming rodent management option. Farmers need to check the fencing regularly throughout the night to remove any animals killed by an electric shock that might cause a short circuit. In addition, some farmers may practice rat hunting and use traps. Farmers in Takeo, however, are still unable to effectively manage the rodent problem even with these methods.
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The results from the trials were extremely positive. More than 100 rats were trapped at each demonstration site and rodent damage decreased from 20‒35% per site and season at nontreatment sites to less than 6% at the treatment sites. Rice yields at the treatment sites were 20‒32% higher than at the nontreatment sites, which contributed to at least a 50% increase in farmers’ net income'.

Footy

Thailand's rice exports on the up, so reports Thai National News (May 29):

'Mr. Charoen [President of the Thai Rice Exporters Association] said his association is confident that the total rice exports for 2018 will exceed 10 million tons, as exports in the first five months of this year reached 4.21 million tons, up by 6.2 percent year-on-year'. 

Vietnam notes (as all other rice exporting nations) that the future is not looking too bad. Vietnamplus (May 22):

'With improved product quality and consecutive win of export contracts, doors are wide open for Vietnamese rice. According to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, rice export grew 23.8 percent in volume to over 2.2 million tonnes, earning 1.11 billion USD, up 39.7 percent in value in the first four months of this year, a high figure over the past five years'. 

From Rice Today (May 2) an article on how precision tools are assisting decision making for Indian farmers.

'Precision nutrient management combined with soil health improvement will play a crucial role in crop production. This demands a better nutrient management recommendation guideline for farmers that is scientifically robust and user-friendly to help them adhere to the 4Rs: right amount, right source, right application method, and right application timing.
Some farmers now have access to tools such as Crop Manager, Green Seeker, and the leaf color chart for site-specific fertilizer application.
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Green Seeker. This tool can be used to readily derive the nitrogen requirement of a standing crop through a smart mobile application. This handy instrument determines the right amount, the right place, and the right time to apply nitrogen, thereby optimizing fertilizer input and yield'.

Certainly the Greenseeker can be a good tool, however how feasible is it for small-scale farmers? This Australian website puts the selling price at 795$AUS, in the UK 395 pounds (ex VAT; source), both well above $US 500, not likely to help smaller farmers.

IRRI notes (May 25) that it's Golden Rice meets food safety standards of 3 global regulatory organisations:

'GR2E Golden Rice, a provitamin-A biofortified rice variety, completed its third positive food safety evaluation, this time from the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA). In an official response received by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) on 24 May (EST), the US FDA concurred with IRRI’s assessment regarding the safety and nutrition of Golden Rice.
The US FDA statement comes on the heels of the safety and nutrition approvals from Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and Health Canada in February and March 2018, respectively'.

It believes that regulatory approvals make the Golden Rice more acceptable. However as this is a GMO, it also means that it opens doors for others to follow.  Will the agricultural capitalist complex thank IRRI for getting their foot between the door?

Needs
Well and truly into the miscellaneous.
The excellent Mekong Commons (Jun. 3) has a good overview of how rubber prices are hurting those with the least options.  Reporting from Thailand:

'But even though future prospects for rubber prices do not look sunny, these tappers are reluctant to give up tapping. For many of them, this is the only occupation they have known'.

Bangkok Post (May 31) mentions how not all courts favour the powerful:

'An appeal court on Thursday vindicated a British labour rights activist entangled in a years-long legal confrontation with a fruit-packing company after he publicised alleged human rights violations at its factory.
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Finnwatch also welcomed the ruling. Its executive director, Sonja Vartiala, said the appeal court's decision was a "much-needed acknowledgement'' that Hall's work researching allegations of human rights abuses against migrant workers was legitimate and in the public interest'.

An interesting article from the Bangkok Post (May 31) on a group of fruit farmers in Chanthaburi who are producing durian organically:

'Today the group has 17 members with accumulated farmland of up to 700 rai of organic orchards in tambon Patthawi in Makham district'.

It's very interesting article which highlights how communities once organised can seek to sell the local produce.

Comité de Coopération avec le Laos (CCL) has a beautiful reportage (Jun. 5) on tea growing in northern Lao.

Dumped

Wrapping up this post, a couple of snippets on Cambodian agriculture, starting off with pepper growing. Articles on pepper growing are always interesting to see how price developments vis-a-vis product placement.

Anyway first off, the Phnom Penh Post (May 17):

'While geographic indication (GI) status Kampot pepper is commanding a good market price, the rest of the Kingdom’s pepper farmers are experiencing falling rates due to the lack of a robust market, according to the Memot Pepper association.
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Long Kemvichet, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, said the current price drop is due to global market trends and is not a Cambodia-only issue.
“It is normal for the price to rise and fall based on demand and supply. The Ministry of Commerce is continuing to promote regular [non-GI] pepper as it is a product with great export potential,” he said, adding Cambodia has many international markets for pepper such as Vietnam, China and the EU.
While non-GI pepper is struggling amid price worries, prices of certified Kampot pepper continues to hold, Ngoun Lay, president of Kampot Pepper Promotion Association, said. The price of Kampot pepper is at $15 per kilogram for black pepper, $25 per kilogram for red pepper and $28 per kilogram for white pepper.
“Regular pepper always seems to face price dumping, as the supply is higher than demand,” Lay said. “We need to build trust in the market.”

Then a couple of weeks later the Phnom Penh Post (Jun. 1) reports how pepper farmers elsewhere in the Kingdom are struggling:

'PRASAC, the Kingdom’s largest microfinance institution (MFI), has launched a new loan program for pepper farmers to help the industry get back on its feet after plunging prices all but decimated it.
However, the farmers are cautious in welcoming the news, coming as it does just before the planting season.
They expressed worry that access to such loans would come with “heavy” terms and may only be applicable to larger plantations.
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Yin Sopha, executive director of the Dar-Memot Pepper Agricultural Development Cooperative in Tbong Khmum, which comprises of 288 farmers, said on Wednesday that pepper prices had fallen to approximately 11,000 riel ($2.75) per kilogram. It was between 15,000 and 20,000 riel last year.
According to Sopha, the drop in price has caused lending institutions to stop providing loans to farmers in view of the high risks'.

Ups and downs are quite usual. Phnom Penh Post (May 30) on the traditional cultivation or oranges in Battambang:

'In Sovanmony, deputy director of the Battambang Provincial Agriculture Department, said that a few years ago, he was sure citrus greening would sound a death knell for the province’s famous orange industry, as farmers gave up on the fruit in favour of other crops.
However, with help and training from experts, and switching to a new orange variety, cultivation has slowly returned.
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Last year, orange cultivation expanded nine percent to 1,169 hectares compared with 1,071 hectares in 2016, Sovanmony said.
The Battambang orange is unique in that its rind is green when ripe. The Ministry of Agriculture in 2016 said it was seeking to have the fruit recognised under the EU’s geographical identification (GI) status because of its unique flavour'.

Finally a report from the  Phnom Penh Post (May 25) concerning a law to protect organic produce and enhance it's growing:

'The private sector has called on the government to speed up enacting the organic food law, which is currently languishing in the draft stage. Having the law, it said, will provide product recognition.
Ten Ra, the technical adviser on trade facilitation and standards for German development agency GIZ, said a national organic food law is an important key to build trust in the market.
While there are organic farms producing quality produce that has made its way into markets across the country, consumers still question the quality and safety of the food'.