Lock & down?

The story over the past month has of course been how the Covid-19 pandemic is influencing rice markets, mostly on the consumer side.

From IRRI, an article by Valera, H.G.A., J. Balié, and V.O. Pede which seeks to look at the wider implications:

'The impact of the COVID-19 crisis on rice-based agri-food systems is expected to be much more serious and deeper than the 2008-2009 GFC. Containment efforts to address the pandemic have already severely disrupted farm supplies such as seed, fertilizer, and other agro-inputs. The lockdowns imposed in countries heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic have also created important labor shortage and migration within countries (e.g. India). This could result in a higher rural wage rate if limited labor availability continues.
The lockdowns are also changing the behavior of consumers. They have been stockpiling food and other essential items. Consumers have also tended to change their spending expectations, anticipating a much longer negative financial impact of the crisis. According to a recently published McKinsey & Company article, the outlook of consumer spending is gloomy for most European countries, while for countries like Brazil and Japan the spending propensity would be impacted less.
We argue that the COVID-19 pandemic could also impact food access, and more particularly rice demand, for three main reasons. First, the traditional distribution (retail, restaurants, and food stores) and logistic (ground, air and maritime transportation, as well as processing) channels have been disrupted. Second, employment has declined and incomes have been suppressed, especially for wage earners. Third, food prices have already been negatively impacted in many countries. The price of rice has increased in many Southeast sian countries between early March and mid-April 2020 as reported by Reuters.
The combined effect of these forces could lead to a shift in rice demand. As the income of families will decline substantially, households will spend less on relatively more expensive food items like meat, milk, vegetables, and fruits. Hence, in most Asian countries where rice consumption per capita is already high, we could see both a moderate increase in rice consumption per capita and an overall increase in rice consumption due to the fact that more people will have fallen below the poverty line. For them, the only affordable food is likely to be rice. However, these poor consumers are already negatively affected by the price spikes for rice, which further compounds their purchasing power (see real price levels in Figure 3). These two mechanisms (contraction of incomes and higher rice prices) have the potential to worsen the food insecurity situation of the most vulnerable and poorest segments of the population'. 

So what I read is that consumption might inch up, though most probably for lower grade rice, but as the past has revealed, if an exporter decides to cut back for domestic policies, then anything can happen.
More in-depth. The Diplomat (May 7):

'Much of the reason for rice’s stellar and almost unique performance in the commodities space is attributable to governments’ coronavirus lockdown measures across Asia. This resulted in most of the world’s largest rice net exporters, namely India, China, and Vietnam, as well as major up-and-coming net exporters like Cambodia and Myanmar, freezing their overseas shipments to ensure sufficient stocks of rice for domestic consumption. Thailand stands out as the one significant rice exporting country continuing to supply the region’s heightened rice-consumption needs throughout the pandemic.
...
China’s surging demand for rice at the beginning of the year was arguably the principal driver in boosting global prices for the agricultural commodity. In the first quarter of 2020, according to China’s Customs Statistics, the value of rice imports rose by 60.3 percent while the value of overall agricultural imports increased by 17.4 percent for the period.
...
Vietnam, currently the world’s fourth largest rice exporter, behind India, Thailand, and the United States, managed $1.4 billion in exports, last year, which accounted for roughly 5 percent of international rice exports. Even so, Vietnam restricted export volumes for April and May to ensure ample reserves for domestic use. For the sake of maintaining cooperative relations with neighboring countries and within the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) framework, Vietnam’s government has been conducting bilateral negotiations with the region’s net rice importers to secure special government-supply agreements.
According to Vietnam’s deputy minister for agriculture and development, the Philippines, which imports 90 percent of its rice from the country, will be one of the first to be informed of the exception to this temporary restriction as Manila awaits delivery of about 1.2 million metric tonnes of rice. Other regional net exporters that have imposed such export restrictions, including Myanmar and Cambodia as top-ten global rice exporters, are similarly negotiating such agreements with the region’s net importers.
Thailand, the world’s second largest rice exporter, on the other hand, remains open for new business as its regional competitors close down international rice sales. The Thai government announced that sufficient rice was cultivated to meet its annual export target, normally around 10 million tonnes yearly, on top of its domestic consumption of a similar quantity, even in the face of a debilitating drought that’s lasted since November last year. The price of Thai white rice 5 percent broken, which is an Asian export benchmark, has risen over 25 percent this year, even reaching a seven-year high, as India and other exporters imposed export controls. At the beginning of the year, Thailand’s rice export prospects were relatively gloomy, but a complete about-turn materialized when the coronavirus outbreak arose'.

FAO rice price update for May 2020 sort of agrees. More sales at higher prices:

'The FAO All Rice Price Index (2002-2004=100) increased by 15.9 points (7 percent) in April 2020 to reach 248.2 points, it’s highest level since December 2011.
...
Asian markets were still reeling from the impact of sudden surges in domestic demand spurred by concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, when the late March suspension of new export contracts in Viet Nam was followed by news of Cambodia prohibiting Indica and paddy exports and of Myanmar temporarily halting the issuance of new export licenses. Logistical constraints linked to quarantine measures, particularly in India, compounded on the uncertain export policy environment, driving prices up across most Asian origins and qualities. Asian quotations began receding only mid-way through April, when Viet Nam instated an export quota, successively expanding it and ultimately deciding to repeal all export restrictions as of 1 May, and when Indian exports regained momentum as bottlenecks began to clear'. 

Agreed
Back to some of the related action. The Bangkok Post (Apr. 23) reports on domestic actions:

'Packaged rice manufacturers and distributors yesterday agreed to cut their prices by as much as 50%, as requested by the Commerce Ministry'.

But the threat of a sellers market, seems to have ebbed away. The Phnom Penh Post (Apr. 30) on Vietnam:

'Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Tuesday agreed with the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s (MoIT’s) proposal to resume rice export from May 1, in accordance with Decree 107/2018/ND-CP on rice export business'.

Two weeks later, Cambodia follows suit. The Phnom Penh Post (May 13):

'The government has decided to allow the rice industry to resume exports of white rice to global markets after a ban was issued in March.
The lifting of the ban comes as the Philippines seeks to import an additional 300,000 tonnes of milled rice from major producers in Southeast Asia.
The decision is in response to a request by the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) to gradually resume white rice exports from May 20, said a letter sent from the Ministry of Economy and Finance to the CRF on Wednesday and signed by Minister Aun Pornmoniroth.
In March, Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered a temporary suspension of white rice and paddy exports to ensure adequate domestic supply, food security and price stability in the Kingdom during the Covid-19 pandemic'.

So are we now back where we started?

Edge

Meanwhile the non-Covid related news on rice and Cambodia.

Phnom Penh Post (May 3) notes how the rice related statistics are on the up:

'Cambodia exported 300,252 tonnes of rice to the international market in the first four months of this year – equivalent to $210 million – the highest export volume in the past decade, the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) said in a report.
The export volume is 40.46 per cent over the 213,763 tonnes reported in the same period last year, it said.
China accounted for 41 per cent of exports or 122,094 tonnes, the EU and the UK 32 per cent or 97,337 tonnes, ASEAN countries 13 per cent or 37,428 tonnes and other countries 14 per cent or 43,339 tonnes.
CRF secretary-general Lun Yeng told The Post on Sunday that rice exports have reached 48.41 per cent of last year’s total exports. The spread of Covid-19 has led to a higher demand for food and storage in all countries, he said'.

Reports galore, hopefully not all following concern the same. The Phnom Penh Post (May 12):

'The government and the private sector are jointly studying the feasibility of lowering paddy production costs and refining milled rice export plans to increase the competitiveness of Cambodia’s market.
Ministry of Commerce secretary of state Sok Sopheak on Monday said ongoing discussions are aimed at identifying the challenges and giving the Kingdom’s rice sector a competitive edge'.

The Khmer Times (May 13) runs an article

'The Ministry of Commerce and development partner – CAVAC (Cambodia Agriculture Value Chain Programme) – have reviewed a study on rice export cost, aiming to enhance the competitiveness of Cambodia’s rice export'.

But not yet published. 

Oh yes, same source, same day even, but different article:

'The Ministry of Commerce and Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) are continuing working to solve the long-running challenges of the Kingdom’s high cost of electricity and transportation in order to boost the country’s rice industry.
...
The Ministry said that the main challenges for Cambodia rice exports include the high cost of electricity, the high cost of transportation, fee costs at ports and the cost of shipping from ports to the destinations'.

Pity to have spent money researching this. It's been this case like since always.

Strict

Cassave remains on the up. The Phnom Penh Post (Apr. 29):

'Cambodia exported 1,115,365 tonnes of cassava to the international market in the first three months of this year, inching up around 1.6 per cent from 1,097,803 in the year-ago period, said a report from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries'.

 Khmer Times (May 7) on cashew:

'Cambodia exported 186,205 tonnes of cashew nut to foreign markets in the first four months of this year, according to a report from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries'.

Rubber acts as expected, a downwards spiral. The Phnom Penh Post (April 16):

'Rubber exports in the first three months of this year declined sharply as a result of tightened measures at border checkpoints to prevent the outbreak of the Covid-19 disease, plantation owners and exporters have said.
Long Sreng International Co Ltd general manager Heng Sreng told The Post on Monday that his company exported a very small amount of rubber in the first three months of the year due to restrictions on the Cambodian border with Vietnam.
Long Sreng International owns the Boeung Ket Rubber Plantation in Stung Trang district’s Prek Kak commune in Kampong Cham province.
Over the past three months, the company has exported 50 tonnes of rubber to the international market, down from the year-ago figures of between 250 and 300 tonnes, he said'.

Novelty. The Khmer Times (May 7):

'A local investor has created a large-scale dragon farm community in Preah Vihear province in response to local and export demand.
Cambodian agronomist Yang Siang Koma and local partners are planning to grow 1 million dragon fruit trees covering 1,000 hectares of land in Sambor Neak community.
“We expect ultimately to create 3,000 to 10,000 jobs for residents,” he said, adding that the fruit has great potential in the market, noting that Vietnam exported $1 billion of the fruit to international markets last year'.

Not all fruits are on the up. The Khmer Times (May 1) reports on difficulties  with exporting mango, though not really naming what the problem is:

'Mong Reththy Group (MRG), the largest local agribusiness company, and Korean mango exporter Hyundai Agro are discussing ways to seek a solution for mango exports.
Chang-Hoon Lee, managing director of Hyundai Agro, told Khmer Times yesterday that both sides have discussed the current situation of the local mango market.
“We agreed to exchange skills, techniques and know- how to each other. We [Hyundai] will support MRG to follow the guidelines to meet South Korea’s regulations because the Korea market is very strict with chemicals and records, plus worm and disease control when it comes to such fruit exports,” he said'.

Pepper received quite some newsprint. Phnom Penh Post (May 11):

'April marked 10 years since Kampot pepper became the first product to receive Geographical Indication (GI) status by the Ministry of Commerce.
Due to its high price and market favour resulting from its GI label, local farmers and investors are engaged in cultivating pepper in provinces across the Kingdom.
But market demand is very uncertain as the price of pepper not from Kampot or Kep, the two provinces recognised as legitimate areas to grow Kampot pepper, has plummeted, frustrating farmers.
Data from the Kampot Pepper Promotion Association (KPPA) shows that membership has increased to 455 families from 118 in 2010.
The number of wooden stakes, which farmers anchor into the ground for the pepper plants to grow around, used by its members has increased from 27,012 in 2010 to 727,317 this year.
Land designated for Kampot pepper cultivation has increased from 1ha in 2010 to 251ha today – exclusively in Kampot and Kep – and more than 100 tonnes of the prized pepper was produced last year.
The data also indicated that prices have increased significantly. Black pepper cost $5.75 per kg in 2010, while red pepper was priced at $10 per kg and white pepper cost $12 per kg.
The prices currently stand at $15 per kg for black pepper, $25 per kg for red pepper and $28 per kg for white pepper'.

Trust

Then that final paragraph in which we pull all that unrelated together. But maybe not so today.

First some Khmer related news. The Khmer Times (Apr. 28) notes that the government sees some interest in the organic growing sides of things:

'The government has announced it will launch rules and a special logo to certify food is organic.
...
Chan Pich, general manager of Signature of Asia, welcomed the move. He said currently only the private sector certifies organic standards for agricultural products in Cambodia. However, having a national organic standard is good because Cambodia wants to work within ASEAN organic standards, to have a proper logo for local products and have proper guidelines to build trust among producers and consumers'.

That said, the Phnom Penh Post (May 5) states that the kingdom is importing more and more of the non-organic:

'Cambodia imported more than 1.2 million tonnes of agricultural fertilisers and chemical pesticides in 2019, up more than nine per cent from 1.1 million tonnes in 2018, said a report from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
Of that, more than 1.14 million tonnes were fertilisers and 81,097 tonnes were chemical pesticides, it said.
The Kingdom imports more than 90,000 tonnes per month of about 2,600 types of fertilisers and pesticides to serve the agricultural sector'.

Then bringing into mind that we are a blog on hybrid rice and all it entails. The past we have had the opportunity to target Monsanto and it's new parent company Bayer. Responsibletechnology (Apr. 29) foresees doom:

'For Bayer’s Annual General Meeting yesterday, Monsanto investigator Jeffrey Smith predicted that Bayer will face possible bankruptcy from a new wave of lawsuits linking Roundup herbicide to numerous diseases, and that the current expected payout of up to $12 billion to more than 50,000 plaintiffs with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is only the beginning'. 

Average

Straight into Cambodia's rice business.

The Kingdom is still looking at last year's data. The Phnom Penh Post (Feb. 9) looks at rice export data:

'Cambodia exported 50,450 tonnes of rice worth $39 million to the international market in January, down 15.39 per cent compared to the same period in 2018, Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) secretary-general Lun Yeng said on Sunday.
Yeng told The Post that Cambodian rice exports to the European market last month decreased 5,269 tonnes (22 per cent) year-on-year since the EU Commission introduced safeguard measures last year on rice imports from the Kingdom.
Last month’s rice exports to China decreased 3,664 tonnes (20 per cent) year-on-year, he said.
“Cambodian rice exports to the EU market are set to increase in the coming months, thanks to a drop in taxes on rice imports from €175 to €150 [$190 to $160] per tonne, which will take effect in mid-February,” he said.
Customs duty to the EU for last year stood at €175 per tonne and will be reduced to €150 this year and to €125 next year'.

While the Khmer Times (Jan. 28) is still looking at production. And then export:

'Some 7.9 million tons of wet season paddy rice were harvested in 2019 while the milled rice export was reported at 620,106 tons, registering a year-on-year decrease of about 1 percent.
China is the Kingdom’s biggest rice market purchasing 248,105 tons, followed by France and Gabon with 81,905 tons and 36,663 tons, respectively. Though the quota to China is 400,000 tons for 2019, exports fell way below target for the second consecutive year.
The dry season rice production, the report stated, were achieved at 528,136 hectares, equal to 114 percent of the yearly target.
Cambodia produced 7.4 million tonnes of paddy rice in 2018, a 3.5 percent increase. Total production in 2018 was only 88.47 percent of what the government expected, adding that 2.4 million hectares were harvested out of 2.7 million hectares of available agricultural land.
On average, each hectare produced 3.07 tonnes of rice, the report says, noting that in 2006 the average yield was only 2.6 tonnes'.

Slightly odd, it's foreign press that report on the following. Vietnamplus (Feb. 11): 

'Cambodia shipped 50,450 tonnes of rice worth 39 million USD to foreign markets in January, a year-on-year decline of 15.39 percent, according to the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF).
CRF secretary-general Lun Yeng said that exports to the European market, the largest importer of Cambodian rice, in the month fell 22 percent year on year to 5,269 tonnes since the EU Commission introduced safeguard measures last year on rice imports from the country'.
However, Lun Yeng said rice exports to the European market are set to increase in the coming months, thanks to a drop in taxes on rice imports from 175 EUR (190.99 USD) per tonne last year to 150 EUR this year'. 

Further afield. Reuters (Feb. 18) reports on Vietnam's rice-related data. But they are for the year ahead:

'Vietnam expects to export 6.75 million tonnes of rice this year, up 6% from last year, Vietnam Food Association Vice Chairman Do Ha Nam said on Tuesday.
“Demand is seen rising this year as Vietnamese rice is more competitive in terms of prices,” Nam told Reuters, adding that the coronavirus epidemic in China had had no impact on shipments of Vietnamese rice to China'.

Tons

Looking at other crops, the Khmer Times (Feb. 18) has a mention of hybrids, but in maize:

'The Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries has approved the first Cambodian hybrid maize, named CHM01, for public use throughout the Kingdom'.

More data from the Phnom Penh Post (Feb. 3); that of cassava:

'The price of cassava in provinces bordering Thailand remains steady during the 2019-2020 harvest season which is currently about 60 per cent complete, officials said.
Cambodia’s cassava is mostly grown in Battambang, Pailin, Banteay Meanchey, Kratie and Kampong Thom provinces. The crop is planted in May and harvested between November and the end of February each year.
Battambang provincial Department of Commerce director Kim Hout said on Monday that the average price at which the province’s farmers sold their crops this year was a little higher than last year.
Fresh cassava goes for 250-260 riel (6.1-6.4 US cents) per kilogramme while dry ones sell for 700-720 riel, Hout said.
He said about 80 per cent of Battambang province’s cassava is exported to Thailand, while another 20 per cent is sold to Vietnam by traders.
During this harvest season, the province has 112,543ha cultivated with cassava, with an average yield of 26.43 tonnes per hectare, a report from the Battambang provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said'.

The Khmer Times (Jan. 27) on rubber:

'Cambodia exported 282,071 tons of dry rubber in 2019, an increase of 30 percent from 217,501 tons in the year before, according to Agriculture Ministry on Sunday.
The Southeast Asian nation made a gross revenue of roughly 377 million U.S. dollars from exports of the commodity last year, up 31.8 percent from 286 million U.S. dollars in a year earlier, said the ministry’s annual report.
“A ton of dry rubber averagely cost 1,336 U.S. dollars in 2019, about 19 U.S. dollars higher than that of 2018,” the report said'.

The Phnom Penh Post (Feb. 20) adds data to our rubber knowledge, but only concerning January 2020:

'Cambodia exported 27,445 tonnes of rubber worth $40 million in the first month of the year, up 17 per cent compared to the same period last year, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries official Khuon Phalla told The Post on Thursday.
Phalla, who is the director of the General Directorate of Rubber’s Department of Administration and Legislation under the ministry, said production also increased last month.
An increase in global demand was the main driver of the industry’s growth last month, he said, as China remains the largest market for the Kingdom’s rubber.
The average price last month was $1,433 per tonne, up $207 from December. “I expect that the price of rubber will continue to increase over the next few months,” he said'.

Khmer Times (Feb. 15) has data on last years mango:

'Cambodia exported more than 58,000 tonnes of mangos to various international markets in 2019 and is mulling the expansion and diversification of the exports'.

Phnom Penh Post (Jan. 26) has news on possible expansion of Cambodia's coffee plantations:

'Bangkok-based Charoen Pokphand Group Co Ltd (CP) has expressed interest in growing coffee in Cambodia to meet the Thai market’s growing demand.
In a meeting with Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak on Friday, a CP representative said even though Thailand is one of the world’s biggest coffee bean producers, demand is outstripping supply for the domestic market.
The representative said his company is conducting a feasibility study on the coffee crop in Cambodia.
...
Though the Kingdom’s coffee export figures for last year are currently unavailable, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries data shows that Cambodia exported 2.25 tonnes of coffee beans in 2018, a 15.14 per cent drop from 2017’s 2.66 tonnes.
In 2016, the Kingdom exported 2.25 tonnes of coffee beans, data showed'.

Thailand was listed as the number 25 in coffee production (2018, source), hardly one of the world's biggest producers.

Finally, there was this positive-for-trading news. The Phnom Penh Post (Feb. 19): 

'The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has announced that rice exporters and agro-product exporters can now attain sanitary and phytosanitary certificates at one window service centres to streamline the process'.

Crucial 

Non-rice and non-Khmei. 

The Vientiane Times (Jan. 29) reports on expansion of organics:

'The Vientiane Agriculture and Forestry Department is planning to build a permanent market for use by organic farmers, in Nonghai village, Hadxaifong district.
The market would set up a formal system to regulate supplies and prices, and provide farmers with a convenient point of sale for their produce.
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Dr Lien Thikeo told the media the ministry is handing over responsibility to the department for the construction of the market.
...
The farmers’ market currently takes place at Lao-ITECC two days a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Department officials said the market encourages farmers to produce safe and chemical-free products to ensure the health of consumers.
There are now 17 organic farmers’ groups with a total of 313 household members, farming 175 hectares of land.
Six of the groups come from Hadxaifong district, six from Xaythany district, two from Xaysettha, and one each from Sikhottabong, Naxaithong and Pakngum districts. Together they grow 1,000 tonnes of produce a year.
These groups look set to continue to expand, securing new members and aiming to grow healthy vegetables on arable land around Vientiane'.

An interesting poster on non-timber forest products.

CCL Laos:

'A really interesting poster from The Agrobiodiversity Initiative Project which underlines the importance of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFP) for upland families in Laos. The poster highlights the importance of NTFP for household as well as the importance of bush fallow ecosystem which play a crucial role as nearly 30% of NTFPs harvested and 50% of all income from NTFP sales come from shifting cultivation fields and fallows. Overall, the paper demonstrates once again how NTFP value chain constitutes a key component for a sustainable and fair development of northern uplands.#NTFP #LaoUplands #sustainabledevelopmentto download the poster:https://www.researchgate.net/…/339301368_Non-Timber_Forest_…'.

Blocks

Then the big (and messy) business. 

The Guardian (Feb. 6) on chlorpyrifos:

'The world’s largest manufacturer of chlorpyrifos, an agricultural pesticide linked to brain damage in children, has announced that it will stop producing the chemical by the end of the year.
The announcement on Thursday by Corteva, the corporation formed from a Dow Chemical and DuPont merger, comes after the Trump administration reversed regulatory plans to ban the pesticide and rejected the scientific conclusions of US government experts.
Chlorpyrifos has been widely used on corn, soybeans, almonds, citrus, cotton, grapes, walnuts and other crops, but research has repeatedly found serious health effects in children, including impaired brain development. Environmental groups have long advocated for its ban, and the state of California, which grows the majority of the nation’s fruits and nuts, defied Trump and banned the chemical last year.
Corteva said it was ending production due to declining sales. Susanne Wasson, the president of Corteva’s crop protection business, told Reuters it was a “difficult decision”.

PAN Europe (Feb. 11) has an interesting exposé on German labs dealing with studies on glyphosate:

'Fraud in German laboratory casts additional doubts on the 2017 re-approval of glyphosate and on the entire EU pesticide safety evaluation procedure. The Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology (LPT) Hamburg that was found recently to commit fraud in a series of regulatory tests had also carried out many of the tests in the glyphosate re-approval dossier in 2017, new study reveals. At least one in 7 glyphosate regulatory studies, with the certificate “Good Laboratory Practice” (GLP), come from LPT Hamburg, the same laboratory that was caught manipulating GLP toxicity studies by replacing dead animals with living ones, changing tumour data to "inflammations" and generally distorting the data to please its clients. It is highly concerning that GLP studies are still considered the golden scientific standard by regulatory authorities who seem to believe that cheating under GLP is impossible.
PAN Europe asks the European Commission to discard the studies carried out by LPT laboratory from the glyphosate dossier currently undergoing re-evaluation at EU-level, and from any other dossier'.

Then the Guardian (Feb. 20) again, this time of the profits of selling hazadorous pesticides:

'The world’s biggest pesticide companies make billions of dollars a year from chemicals found by independent authorities to pose high hazards to human health or the environment, according to an analysis by campaigners.
The research also found a higher proportion of these highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) in the companies’ sales in poorer nations than in rich ones. In India, 59% of sales were of HHPs in contrast to just 11% in the UK, according to the analysis.
The data from Phillips McDougall, the leading agribusiness analysts, are from buyer surveys focused on the most popular products in the 43 nations that buy the most pesticides. It was obtained and analysed by Unearthed, a journalism group funded by Greenpeace UK, and the Swiss NGO Public Eye.
...
Unearthed used a list of 330 HHPs compiled by Pesticide Action Network International (PAN), based on judgments from authorities such as the US Environmental Protection Agency, European Union bodies, the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants and the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
The FAO and WHO classify some but not all of these pesticides as HHPs on their list and a spokesman for BASF said the PAN list was “inflated”. Keith Tyrell, director of PAN UK, said: “Efforts to strengthen the UN’s approach are consistently blocked by the pesticide industry.”

Challenge

With the new year starting, there are a couple of articles looking at the year past and trying to see what the future could bring.

Khmer Times (Jan. 3) provides an excellent review of last year and future prospects. In short: the sector has lost track, production was slightly off, while growth in trade was non-existent. Possibly as China becomes the new market leader for rice exports, the market might see an upswing. Positive mentions also to organics:

'Cambodia’s rice sector is faced with the challenge of strengthening the quality of its fragrant rice, said Song Saran, president of the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), the recently appointed head of the milled rice export promotion body. “We have to compete,” he says. “The issues we can see include climate change, lack of pure rice seeds and sometimes lack of capital to buy paddy rice,” Mr Saran said.
Cambodia experienced a decline in milled rice exports to the EU this year because of tariff duties imposed by the European Union on Cambodia’s white Indica rice. However, the loss from the EU bloc, the biggest market for the country’s milled rice, has been replaced with increasing export to China and other new markets.
...
Cambodia shipped 174,397 tonnes of rice to the European market during the period, down 26 percent, the report read.
On the other hand, Cambodia exported 205,358 tonnes of milled rice to China during the first 11 months of 2019, up 34 percent over the same period last year, according to the report.
...
Cambodia has a quota of 400,000 tonnes that China allows Cambodia to export. According to the CRF, the quota will be implemented from early 2020.
Last week, the Chinese government allowed 18 new local rice millers to export to China, increasing the number to 44 rice millers exporting to China.
Cooperation with China is good, enabling export amounts to increases by 34 percent as of November 2019 compared with the same period last year, Mr Saran said, adding that almost of 80 percent rice export to China is fragrant rice.
Cambodia’s rice ranks fourth among rice exporters to China out of 12 countries, according to Saran.
...
Soeun, from Ministry of Agriculture, said that the ministry is preparing a policy for organic agricultural practices. We are applying the organic standard of Cambodia,” he says.“Cambodia’s organic rice ranks fifth in the EU and we are committed to competing to become number two or number three there,” Mr Saran said.
For Saran, although facing a number of issues that need to be addressed and enhanced, Cambodia’s ambition of exporting 1 million tons of milled rice would be within reach.
“We designate fragrant rice for promoting exports, which we register under the trademark Malys Angkor. Our rice is quality – our fragrant rice has won the world’s best rice award four times,” Saran said'.

Another attempt is made by Asia Times (Jan.) which sets the tone thus:

'Cambodia’s beleaguered rice sector is both literally and figuratively drying up, with drought parching crops and commercial banks refusing liquidity to farmers and millers in need of loans to stay afloat'.

Predicting future climate seems questionable, most of the analysis concerns the past:

'While the rice sector has long faced problems of underfunding and black market dealing, and is increasingly being impacted by environmental change and degradation, its woes have been compounded by European Union (EU) tariffs imposed last year on rice imports from Cambodia.
...
While the total tonnage of Cambodia’s rice exports fell by less than 1% last year, chiefly because of the uptick of exports to China, official data shows that the total financial value of rice shipments fell by 4.3%, down to US$501 million. In other words, exports to China aren’t nearly as profitable as exports to the EU'.

Looking back I see quite a few publications with similar conclusions. Asean Today (Jan. 13) for instance:

'Following the tariff introductions, rice exports from the Kingdom to the EU fell by 30% in 2019. Buyers are using falling exports as an excuse to drive rice prices down.
Choeun Socheat, a rice farmer in Cambodia’s Battambang province, told VOA that rice prices are down to US$232 per ton, US$60 less than the previous year’s rate. “The dealers told us that the price is low because they are buying rice to keep at the rice mills, but not for exporting abroad.”

However when looking at rice price changes (FAO, December 2019 report), export prices for Vietnamese rice (comparable?) were down 17-18% for the 12 months preceding, whereas FAO's own indices are down 5-7%.

So the loss of the aforementioned 4.3% in overall exported value doesn't seem too bad.

One should also note that exports are only a fraction of total production. The Asia Times article f.i. notes:

'The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported last year that some 44% of Cambodia’s rice exports are undocumented and smuggled out of the country, chiefly because millers cannot afford to purchase the entire harvest and growers look to informal brokers for quick cash'.

Let's conclude with what the Phnom Penh Post (Jan. 2) reports on 2019:

'Rice exports reached 620,106 tonnes last year, a drop of almost one per cent from the 626,225 tonnes the previous year, the Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF) said.
The total value of exports dropped more than four per cent last year from 2018, the Kingdom’s rice industry body added.
Coupled with the 1.43 per cent decline between 2018 and 2017, the modest drop marks the second consecutive year that exports have fallen.
According to a CRF report obtained by The Post on Wednesday, the total value of the Kingdom’s rice exports were valued at some $501 million last year, down 4.3 per cent from $524 million in 2018.
A breakdown of the data showed that the 202,990 tonnes to the Chinese market accounted for 40.73 per cent of rice exports, followed by 13.41 per cent, or 83,164 tonnes, to the Asean region and 13.84 per cent, equal to 85,847 tonnes, to other markets.
According to Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries data, Cambodia also exported 2.15 million tonnes of rice to Vietnam last year'.

Shipped

It should be noted that Cambodia is not the only rice exporter faced with a downward trend. 

The Bangkok Post (Jan. 16):

'Thailand's rice exports in 2020 are forecast to drop to their lowest in seven year, the country's rice exporters group said on Thursday, as the strong baht reduces the competitiveness against other shippers.
Exports from Thailand, the world's second-biggest exporter of the commodity after India, are expected to drop to 7.5 million tonnes this year, the Thai Rice Exporters Association said. That would be the lowest volume since Thailand exported 6.6 million tonnes of rice in 2013.
The grim forecast came after Thailand fell short of its initial 2019 target by exporting 7.8 million tonnes of rice last year'.

Reuters (Jan. 13) though notes that Vietnam is bucking the trend though only slightly:

'Rice exports from Vietnam, the world’s third-largest shipper of the grain, rose 4.2% in 2019 from a year earlier to 6.4 million tonnes, customs data showed on Monday.
However, revenue from rice exports last year dropped 8.3% to $2.8 billion, the Customs Department said in a statement'.

In other rice related news from the region, Thailand's Nation (Jan. 8) has a report on a particular niche:

'Netizens have widely shared a phenomenal photo of a pink rice field in Phitsanulok, wondering if it was for real. It certainly is.
The pink rice field is owned by Naresuan University alumnus Jaturong Chomphusa, who turned his back on an office job three years ago to become a farmer'.

Then an interesting find a vdo from Laos on a labour saving small-scale, low tech rice harvester.

Jumping

Back to Cambodia and some competitive crops.

Cassava. The Phnom Penh Post (Jan. 9) notes an upswing for cassava growing.

'Cambodia exported 3.29 million tonnes of cassava last year, up 27 per cent from 2018’s 2.59 million tonnes, a Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries report said.
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon wrote via Facebook that the Kingdom’s export of agricultural products last year reached more than 6.93 million tonnes, which he estimated to be worth more than $1.9 billion'.

It contrasts with maize. The Phnom Penh Post (Jan. 7):

'Total corn exports dropped by more than 40 per cent on 2018 due to last year’s drought and pest damage, industry insiders said.
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries data showed that last year the Kingdom exported 119,993 tonnes of red corn – down 41.23 per cent on 2018’s 204,184 tonnes.
The exports were mostly to Thailand, Vietnam and Taiwan, according to the data'.

Not so closely involved in competition, there's also news from f.i. rubber growing. 

Phnom Penh Post (Dec. 31):

'The Kingdom’s rubber exports saw a 24 per cent increase over the first 11 months of last year compared to the same period in 2018, data from the General Directorate of Rubber obtained by The Post on Tuesday showed.
Pol Sopha, the director-general of the General Directorate of Rubber, who declined to comment on the reason behind the jump, told The Post on Tuesday that the Kingdom exported 233,677 tonnes of rubber with an export value of $311 million during the period.
The data also showed that 434,552ha of rubber had been planted in the first 11 months of last year, with more than 230,000ha of rubber having been harvested'.

Further rubber news from the Phnom Penh Post (Jan. 12):

'The General Directorate of Rubber announced a joint study on family-owned rubber plantations in three provinces to better understand how growers have responded to the sharp drop in rubber prices over the past nine years.
The average cost of rubber has fallen from around $4,600 per tonne in 2011 to about $1,350 per tonne in early 2020, according to its report'.

Bangkok Post (Jan. 20) though exemplifies that increasing rubber cultivation (as in Cambodia) is not the broader global trend:

'Rubber farmers are set to endure another year of low rubber prices as global uncertainty and a strong baht drive importers to turn off the taps.
The Economic Intelligence Center (EIC) forecasts a gloomy outlook for rubber prices in Thailand this year due to tepid demand from China and increased domestic supply in Thailand'.

Involved

Fruitier news then. The Phnom Penh Post (Jan. 20):

'As many as 300 tonnes of mango are processed every day in the Kingdom for export, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said in a report.
It said the industry is dominated by five companies which together use 250-300 tonnes of the fruit per day.
Heng Sreng, the general manager of Boeung Ket Planting and Industrial Co Ltd, one of the companies highlighted in the report, told The Post on Sunday that it buys between 100 and 140 tonnes of mangoes per day at around 750 riel ($0.18) per kilogramme.
“Recently, we have had a chance to buy a lot of mangoes. There is a large supply now as companies in Vietnam and Thailand have temporarily stopped orders due to the holidays [Chinese and Vietnamese New Year],” he said.
Last year, Boeung Ket Planting and Industrial exported between 300 and 400 tonnes of dry mango products, mostly to China.
...
Last year, the Kingdom exported 58,162 tonnes of fresh mango to six markets – Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, France, Russia and Hong Kong.
Ngin Chhay, the director-general of the General Directorate of Agriculture at the ministry, said Cambodia produces four million tonnes of mango annually, with 100,000ha dedicated to the crop'.

Phnom Penh Post (Jan. 5) on banana's:

'The export of yellow bananas to international markets last year reached 157,812 tonnes, most of which was exported to China and the rest to Vietnam and Japan, a Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries report showed.
There is no data on 2018 banana exports to international markets as it mostly comprised of informal exports to Vietnam. However, the ministry said Cambodia exported some 10,000 tonnes to international markets in 2018.
Hun Lak, the director of Longmate Agriculture Co Ltd, which plans to invest in 1,000ha of banana plantations in Kampot province by 2021, said over 400ha of plantations were harvested last year – with 10,000 tonnes of yellow bananas going to China'.

Nuts then. Phnom Penh Post (Jan. 13):

'Cambodia exported some 202,318 tonnes of cashew nuts last year to foreign markets, up nearly 100 per cent from 2018’s 101,973 tonnes, a Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries report said.
Khan Samban, director of the ministry’s Department of Agro-Industry, told The Post that the strong growth in exports is due to the ministry’s simplification of export procedure and the commodity’s improved standards.
“Our cashew nuts have a good taste and quality, so we’ve received increased demand from foreign countries,” Samban said.
He said he expects cashew nut prices to fall to around 5,000 or 6,000 riel ($1.23 or $1.48) per kilogramme in the early harvest season this year. “Cashew nut yield will increase this year due to an increase in cultivation.”

Oddly, news on Vietnam - the world leader in cashew growing and exporting - but from the Phnom Penh Post (Dec. 24):

'Vietnam's cashew sector aims to earn US$4 billion in export turnover next year.
According to the Vietnam Cashew Association (Vinacas), the sector will focus on deep processing, improving quality and diversifying products towards realising the goal.
This year, the sector imported over 1.5 million tonnes of raw materials, mostly from Africa, to meet its processing and production demand.
Mergers and acquisitions have also taken place this year with more and more large-scale enterprises operating in the industry, the association said.
By the end of November, Vietnamese businesses had shipped more than 418,000 tonnes of cashew abroad for almost $3 billion, while this year’s targets are 450,000 tonnes and $3.5 billion'.

Then the Phnom Penh Post (Jan. 6) on pepper growing:

'Pepper exports more than doubled last year despite Kampot pepper exports having dropped more than 27 per cent year-on-year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.
Total pepper exports reached 3,693.25 tonnes last year – up 53.17 per cent from 2,411.20 tonnes over the same period in 2018, the ministry’s data showed.
Meanwhile, Kampot pepper exports fell from 69 to 50 tonnes over the same period, the Kampot Pepper Promotion Association (KPPA) said.
KPPA president Nguon Lay said farmers harvested 125 tonnes of Kampot pepper last year but were only able to export less than half of that due to “the lack of new export markets”

Noteworthy, Kampot pepper also gets reported on by the BBC (Jan. 16).

Finally in other news, Monsanto related. Reuters (Jan. 17):

'Bayer could be close to settling more than 75,000 cancer claims related to its Roundup herbicide, with mediator Ken Feinberg on Friday saying he was “cautiously optimistic that a settlement will ultimately be reached.”
Feinberg said the settlement negotiations were complex and difficult. Asked about a timeline, he said it would be “premature to state that a settlement is near or will be reached.
”Feinberg declined to discuss terms of the possible settlement, but told Reuters the group of plaintiffs’ lawyers involved in the negotiations had been expanded, suggesting a potential wide-ranging settlement'.

Safety

Quite a lot to share this time round, so without any due, let's see what IRRI (Dec. 18) has come up with:

'After rigorous biosafety assessment, Golden Rice “has been found to be as safe as conventional rice" by the Philippine Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry. The biosafety permit, addressed to the Department of Agriculture - Philippine Rice Research Institute (DA-PhilRice) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), details the approval of GR2E Golden Rice for direct use as food and feed, or for processing (FFP).

Reading the full press announcement, one notices that the Filipino procedure was just a formality it seems, If countries such as Australia, Canada, US and NZ have already verified the product, why should the Philippines lag? 
Because the prior mentioned countries will probably never ever consume the product, so their verification was easy. as suspected their approval opens the door for more approvals without carrying out significant checks. Just another step in failing to openly  discuss the strategy of giving GMO rice approval.

Range

Onwards.

There seems to be problems concerning prices on offer to farmers. The Phnom Penh Post (Dec. 11):

'Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday appealed to rice millers and paddy buyers not to lower prices and to secure better rates for farmers facing difficulties in the early harvest season.
The Cambodian Rice Federation (CRF) said the low prices were due to an influx of poor quality paddy in some areas'.

It doesn't seem to have helped. VOA (Dec. 20) entirely objectively notes this:

'The Cambodian Agriculture Ministry rejected criticism circulating on social media about farmers getting low prices for their rice in the paddy-producing provinces of Battambang, Pursat and Banteay Meanchey.
The ministry released a statement on Tuesday claiming that farmers receiving low rice prices were selling poor quality rice and that prices were still within an acceptable range. Ministry officials were also working with rice mills to procure as much rice as possible from farmers.
...
However, Yaing Saing Koma, an agricultural expert, said that rice prices were low mainly because rice export to European Union is declining.
The rice export to the EU has dropped from around 170,000 tons in 2018 to 120,000 tons in 2019 for the first eight months, according to representatives of rice millers. The rice sector was also hit with tariffs for exports to the European Union earlier this year, after Italy triggered safeguard mechanisms.
“The rice exports to the EU are dropping badly so it affects the profit of the rice milling companies. They are afraid to stock a lot of rice for export,” he said.
Earlier this month, the Cambodia Rice Federation said it needed $200 million in working capital to buy rice from the farmers on account of shrinking loans available in the financial sector, with government allocating only $50 million of the required capital'.

As above, the purchasers have said it's not their fault. The Khmer Times (Dec. 20):

'The Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) has fought back against claims that the current price of paddy is too low to sustain farmers’ livelihoods.
“Despite what people are saying on social media, the price of paddy has not decreased below market price. The current price is acceptable for farmers,” said CRF president Song Saran.
CRF comments follow viral posts on social media platforms claiming the current price level is insufficient to make a living.
...
He also suggested that the drop in the price of paddy may be the result of farmers planting lower quality varieties. He called on farmers to focus on “purer” rice types'.

A bit strange, this blame game. Surely if prices are lower, then this also spells better times for poorer citizens? A double edged sword?

Fortified
More then on the above mentioned loan scheme. The Phnom Penh Post (Dec. 8):

'The state-owned Rural Development Bank (RDB) has announced that it will distribute $50 million in loans to private rice millers to sustain the paddy market for farmers.
The Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) said the funds will be used to purchase nearly 300,000 tonnes of paddy during the post-monsoon harvest season, which ends at the beginning of next year.
The additional loans come after the CRF asked the government to provide $200 million in loans to rice millers late last month.
...
RDB CEO Kao Thach told The Post last week that capital shortage in the rice sector is between $200 million and $250 million. To help remedy the issue, he has called on commercial banks to lend more to the sector'.

Then some news on lesser rice related news from Khmer kingdom. The Phnom Penh Post (Dec. 9) looks at the evolving Chinese market:

'China has granted an additional 18 Cambodian rice millers approval to export rice into the country, bringing the total to 44, the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh said on Friday.
The additional rice exporters will help the Kingdom achieve its 400,000 tonne quota of rice to China starting next year, it said.
Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) vice-president Chan Sokheang said China’s decision comes after a CRF proposal to increase the Kingdom’s rice production capacity to supply the Chinese market.
...
According to an official report, in the first 11 months of this year, international rice exports totalled 514,149 tonnes. This was a 3.4 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, at 497,240 tonnes.
China was the Kingdom’s leading export market in the first 11 months of this year, with 195,242 tonnes. The EU imported 174,397 tonnes and the Asean region 69,239 tonnes. The remainder was exported to Africa and other destinations'.

Other markets. Phnom Penh Post (Dec. 3) on South Africa:

'Milled rice exporter Mekong Oryza Trading Co Ltd signed an export memorandum of understanding (MoU) with companies from Hong Kong and South Africa in Phnom Penh on Tuesday'.

Then concerning Nigeria, the Phnom Penh Post (Dec. 16):

'A Nigerian investor is looking to directly export rice from Pursat province to the west African country, citing the quality of Cambodia’s milled rice.
The investor’s representative, Mustapha Sammy Yaacob, the chief operating officer of SNZ Engineering Sdn Bhd, raised the subject at a meeting with Pursat provincial governor Mao Thonin on Sunday'.

Other snippets. Phnom Penh Post (Dec. 8) looks at contracts:

'Contract farming between community producers and rice millers or buyers brings growers great benefits, with an expanded market and more favourable prices, industry insiders have said.
Contract farming refers to an agreement between a company and an agricultural community regarding prices, quantities and standards of quality.
Signatures of Asia Co Ltd chairman and CEO Chan Sokheang told The Post on Thursday that contract farming in the paddy production sector would bring better prices for farmers than the market and ease concerns about market shortages and price fluctuations.
...
Signatures of Asia currently has contracts with 30 communities – consisting of nearly 4,000 families – in Preah Vihear, Banteay Meanchey, Stung Treng, Kampong Speu and Mondulkiri provinces, Sokheang said.
He said the high-quality phka malis paddy cost his company between 1,030 and 1,080 riel ($0.25 and $0.27) per kilogramme when bought from one such community on Thursday, while organic paddy goes for between 1,450 and 1,700 riel, which is slightly down on last year'.

Finally, the last bit on Cambodia's rice, the Phnom Penh Post (Dec. 19):

'The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) announced its collaboration on Thursday with a Cambodian company to provide rural students with micronutrient-enriched school meals.
The partnership will see the WFP and Green Trade Company blend fortified rice kernels with Cambodian white rice to support the school meals programmes organised by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport'.

Odd, this, as me thinks that this renders Golden Rice obsolete?

State

Thailand has some rice related concerns. Quality?  Bangkok Post (Dec. 1):

'Failing to win the prize as the world's best fragrant rice for two consecutive years has come as a wake-up call for Thailand to overhaul its research and development into Hom Mali rice varieties to catch up with the changing global demand for fragrant rice.
After winning the contest for five consecutive years, Thailand's Hom Mali (jasmine) rice was beaten last year by Cambodia's fragrant rice and this year by Vietnam's ST25 variety.
"It's about time that both the government and the private sector joined hands in a more serious effort to improve the quality of Thai rice to meet the global market's expectations," said Charoen Laothamatas, president of Thai Rice Exporters Association'.

Overall rice production is down.  Bangkok Post (Nov. 28):

'Thailand's annual paddy production for both the main and second crops is forecast at 27-28 million tonnes in the 2019-20 season, weighed down by a drop in production for the second crop because of flooding and drought.
Whichai Phochanakij, director-general of the Internal Trade Department, who on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the subcommittee handling reference prices for rice price guarantees, said paddy output from the second crop is estimated at just 3.5 million tonnes, down 54% from 7.75 million tonnes the previous season, due to drought and inadequate water supply from dams'.

The Nation (Nov. 28) notes how the government is sugar coating their rural policies:

'Speaking after a meeting with the rice price guarantee committee, the Department of Internal Trade’s director-general Wichai Phochanakit revealed on Wednesday (November 27) that 90 per cent of the rice grown in crop year 2019/2020 had been harvested, but the volume had decreased drastically due to drought and floods'.

More or less what the Bangkok Post (Nov. 25) previously reported on:

'The government has set aside 70 billion baht to shore up paddy prices, as the annual harvest is scheduled to flood the market this month.
Whichai Phochanakij, director-general of the Internal Trade Department, said the latest meeting of the subcommittee handling national rice policy and management chaired by Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit last week approved the schemes worth a combined 70 billion baht'.

Back on the prices subjects. Neighbour to the north (Laos) is also concerned, but to the opposite: rising prices. Phakhaolao reports (Nov. 14):

'The total yield is expected to be about 3.5 million tonnes – a downward slide from the original target of 4.4 million tonnes. Rising prices, shortages and storage issues, including difficulties in procuring rice, are worrisome for both the people and the state'.

Laos works outside world market (or nòt) thanks to their love of sticky rice. 

Derailed

Continuing on the same theme (what's happening with the neighbours), there's the never ending story of cleaning up your act. In this case is it acceptable to use what are increasingly believed to be harmful substances while maintaining you product is pure nature itself?

Concrete, use of paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos are to be axed in Thailand. Or not? Because this is after all Thailand, where anything goes.

Bangkok Post (Nov. 24) starts off:

'Opposition to the state's ban on three harmful herbicides looks set to escalate as farmers gear up to defy an order to hand over the chemicals to authorities amid plans for a rally on Tuesday.
The prohibition against the trade, use and possession of paraquat, glyphosate and chlorpyrifos -- announced late last month by the National Hazardous Substances Committee (NHSC) -- will take effect from Dec 1 but opponents are challenging its enforcement and have refused to follow orders as the deadline draws near'.

It works. The Nation (Nov. 27):

'Yielding to pressure from farmers and distributors, a government-established committee has recommended a six-month delay in the planned ban on hazardous agrichemicals paraquat and chlorpyrifos and limited continued use of a third, glyphosate.
Industry Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit said on Wednesday (November 27) the Hazardous Substance Committee he chairs voted unanimously to postpone the ban on two chemicals and allow continued use of the third. 24 committee members casted their votes while 5 were absent.
The committee had on October 22 recommended that all three be banned.
The Department of Agriculture announced in the government gazette on November 18 that the bans would take effect on December 1.
But Suriya declared on Wednesday the ban on paraquat and chlorpyrifos would be postponed to June 1 and “the use of glyphosate will follow the commitee's guideline annouced back on May 23, 2018”'.

Then the confusion. The Bangkok Post (Nov. 28):

'Public health authorities insisted on Thursday that the National Committee on Hazardous Substances neither lifted nor eased a ban on three toxic farm chemicals, as Industry Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit had said.Permanent secretary Sukhum Karnchanapimai and other senior health officials held a press conference at the ministry in Nonthaburi province on Thursday to refute Mr Suriya's announcement.On Wednesday Mr Suriya told journalists at the Industry Ministry that the new National Committee on Hazardous Substances had decided unanimously that day to lift the scheduled ban on the herbicide glyphosate and delay the ban on the herbicide paraquat and pesticide chlorpyrifos for six months from Dec 1'.

So despite no decision having been taken, a decision has been taken. Huh? Bangkok Post (Nov. 29) notes what's happening:

'BioThai, an anti-farm chemical pressure group, has alleged that "four major forces'' were behind the decision to scrap the ban on the herbicide glyphosate and delay the prohibitions against the herbicide paraquat and pesticide chlorpyrifos.
BioThai (Biodiversity & Food Sovereignty Action Thailand), which campaigned to have the chemicals banned, published an article titled "Analysis: 36 Days to derail the ban on glyphosate'' on its website on Thursday.
The group claimed the decision to derail the ban was the result of a joint effort by a Thai animal-feed producer, a group of herbicide producers, and two political parties in collusion with US entities'.

The Nation has more on this briefing.

Bangkok Post (Dec. 4):

'The Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry still has no idea how it will handle three controversial toxic farm chemicals pending an official direction from the National Hazardous Substances Committee (NHSC).
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chalermchai Sri-on said on Wednesday that NHSC had not sent its official resolution from its Nov 27 meeting that reviewed a proposed ban on the herbicides paraquat and glyphosate and the pesticide chlorpyrifos.
When reporters asked Mr Chalermchai what his ministry was doing with the three toxic chemicals, he said he could not relay any instructions to any organisation under his supervision pending the official conclusion from the national committee'.

Green

Phnom Penh Post (Dec. 10) has a message on an overall trade issue:

'Two more provinces have been allowed to issue the certificate of origin (CO) Form D which makes it easier for exporters to apply from their locations. In future commerce departments in each province will carry out this function.
...
With provincial departments of commerce now being able to issue the form, the application process for a CO will take just 16 hours compared to 10 days to two weeks if applied at the ministry in Phnom Penh'.

Then to the fruits. The Phnom Penh Post (Dec. 1):

'Official mango exports from Cambodia to China could begin as soon as the beginning of next year after visiting experts concluded that the fruit grown in the Kingdom is of good quality.
Officials from the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) visited the Kingdom on November 24 to inspect Cambodian mango cultivation and determine whether to approve exports.
...
Vann Rithy, general manager of Angkor Mango, a mango buyer and exporter, on Sunday said that China is a large, high-demand and high-value market, and that official exports would greatly contribute to the growth of Cambodia’s economy.
The Kingdom’s mangoes are currently exported to China informally through Vietnam and Thailand.
“When official mango exports to China receive the green light, Cambodia will see a lot of benefits, particularly in regard to prices.
The previous need to export through neighbouring countries led to lower mango prices,” Rithy said.
He said the Kingdom would not be able to produce enough mangoes to meet the increased demand, but that yields are set to increase significantly as the approval of exports would encourage farmers in most provinces to plant more mango trees.
Chhay [Ngin Chhay, director-general of the General Directorate of Agriculture at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries] said there are currently around 60,000 to 70,000ha of mango plantations in the Kingdom'.

The Khmer Times (Dec. 20) chimes in:

'Mangoes could be one of the main agricultural products from Cambodia to be exported to foreign markets, providing high hopes for their current untapped farming potential, the government says, adding the sector is ready for new investment.
There is big scope because there are more than 100,000 hectares of land planted with the sweet, juicy fruit, which translates to at least 1 million tonnes harvested each season.
However, only a small percentage is currently exported because of poor facilities and technical knowhow for planting the trees.
...
Currently, mango fruits from Cambodia are exported to France, Spain, and Russia, Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam.
Last year, Cambodia exported about 50,000 tonnes of fresh mangoes to foreign markets, most of them shipped to Thailand and Vietnam.
South Korea will become a new market for mangoes by early next year, while the exporting company is working to progress the business as fast as it can'.

Phnom Penh Post (Nov. 20) on banana's:

'Yellow banana exports to China have grown since April when the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced that the fruit can be exported directly without relying on Vietnam as an intermediary, Longmate Agriculture Co Ltd director Hun Lak said on Wednesday.
He told The Post that besides expanding its exports to China, his company is seeking to export to Japan, South Korea and the Middle East.
“In Cambodia, the climate is favourable [for yellow bananas]. It is hot and humid, and the soil is fertile and well suited to the cultivation of bananas.
...
He said Cambodia exports an average of 60 containers of bananas a month to China at a median price of between $550 and $600 per tonne.
“We have officially received approved exporter status because Chinese customs authorities and companies recognise our banana standards,” he said.
So far this year, the Kingdom had exported 127,459 tonnes of yellow bananas to China since official direct exports to the Chinese market were authorised, a report from the ministry’s General Department of Agriculture said on Friday.
According to data from the General Department of Agriculture, from the third quarter of last year, three major yellow banana farms existed in Cambodia. They are located in Ratanakkiri, Kratie and Kampot provinces and have a total area of 4,996ha – all for export'.

The Phnom Penh Post (Dec. 19) on coconut, a very overlooked crop. China seems interested:

'Coconut Palm Group Co Ltd is planning to invest in coconut plantations and set up a factory in Cambodia to produce fruit juice, said its general manager Zhao Bo at a recent meeting with Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Veng Sakhon.
The company is the biggest natural plant protein soft drink producer in China and specialises in processing tropical fruits such as coconuts.
...
The ministry said in 2016, coconut was cultivated on a total of 16,935ha in Cambodia, mainly in Preah Sihanouk, Kampong Speu and Kampot provinces.
...
Zhao said the Coconut Palm Group, located in Hainan, has annual revenues of $400 million and uses 600,000 coconuts a day in its production. The company also employs 6,000 workers and exports its juices to 38 countries.
The company, he said, was established 31 years ago, and in 2016, it paid 603 million yuan ($86.2 million) in taxes – 201 times more than it did in 1985. “Our company’s development has helped to promote the tropical fruits planting industry in Hainan,” Zhao said'.

Drop
Last chapter, ag issues in the wider region. Just a pair.
Phnom Penh Post (Dec. 15) reports on Vietnam's fruit trade:

'Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports dropped 0.6 per cent year-on-year to $3.5 billion in the first 11 months this year, data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) shows.
The drop was attributed to falling earnings from dragon fruit, which accounted for 31 per cent of total fruit exports, (down nine per cent), durian (down 17.4 per cent), coconut (down 35 per cent), longan (down 56 per cent) and watermelon (down 26.4 per cent)'.

Phakhaolao (Nov. 14) sees problems with the Lao coffee production:

'Champassak is suffering the effects of a 28 percent decrease in the price of coffee exports compared to last year, with the price now standing at 1,800 kip per kilogram compared to 2,500 kip. The province's Industry and Commerce Department said that in the first nine months of this year 17,993 tonnes of coffee was exported, a drop of 28 per cent compared to last year'.