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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.
Tobacco is Zimbabwe’s largest agricultural export and a primary foreign currency earner, dominating its trade with Beijing. Last season, it produced 352.7 million kilograms of tobacco. Photo: Getty Images
China-Africa relations

China helps Zimbabwe grow US$1.2 billion tobacco crop amid debt, health concerns

As Zimbabwe’s largest agricultural export and a primary foreign currency earner, tobacco dominates its trade with Beijing.

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Consumer protection in Hong Kong

Editorial | Food poisoning cases in Hong Kong must prompt swift mitigation efforts

China-Latin America relations

Brazil races to China beef cap as 55% tariff risks price collapse

China consumption

China overhauls CPI basket, with never-before-seen unveiling of its composition

Beijing’s five-year recalibration aims to better reflect consumption, as policymakers shift weight away from food and housing.

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For China’s consumer price index (CPI) basket, Beijing has increased the weight of transport and communications to 14.3 per cent in its latest five-year adjustment. Photo: Getty Images
US-China relations

As Bessent tips next US-China trade talks, analysts see Trump-Xi meeting prep

Treasury Secretary Bessent confirms preparations for high-level dialogue, with analysts expecting a focus on specific transactional wins over a relationship reset.

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China consumption

China failed to hit 2025 soybean meal dependence target. US deal makes it harder

Beijing sees soybeans as the agricultural industry’s biggest vulnerability, while plans to cut their use in animal feed have little success.

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China trade

China-Canada canola deal faces test as USMCA trade talks loom, insiders warn

Initial shipments bring hope, but ‘Fortress North America’ threat and lack of long-term guarantees leave producers wary of Beijing’s commitment.

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Bottles of Canola Harvest brand canola oil, made by a Canadian agribusiness firm, are seen on the shelf of a grocery store in Beijing. Photo: AP
China food security

China signals strong soybean imports – what does it mean for food security?

Beijing also vows broader agricultural opening while safeguarding domestic production and farmers.

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Climate change

Opinion | Why China and Europe should care about Central Asia’s water crisis

Central Asian rivers shape Eurasian trade flows, affect global food markets and contribute to geopolitical instability across the region.

China economy

Opinion | Why China’s persistently low inflation is not all bad news

For investors and policymakers, the key takeaway is what that outcome shows about the economy’s capacity to absorb shocks while rebalancing.

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A girl selecting snacks in a shop in Mengzi city in southwestern China’s Yunnan province on October 15. Photo: Xinhua
Food and Drinks

Exclusive | Hong Kong chef wins Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants’ first Champions of Change Award

Sustainability pioneer Peggy Chan talks about her mission and what winning the Champions of Change award means for her and the industry.

The Hong Kong-born chef and sustainable dining advocate talks about how we can change our food production systems for the better if we work together. Photo: Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026
Maxim’s

Video | Customer finds tooth in loaf of bread

A customer posted the discovery on social media and filed a complaint with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.

US-China trade war

Trump sells tariffs as farmers’ win in Iowa, but many aren’t buying it

As US president courts rural voters before midterms, growers fear Beijing may retaliate against Trump policies by curbing purchases again.

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Tourism

Taste Sweden’s delicious ‘blue food’ fresh from the sea on boat tours

From oysters and mussels to superfood seaweed, Sweden’s west coast is a treasure trove of ‘blue food’ – sustainable aquatic produce.

FILED - Blue, or aquatic, foods hold support diets that are healthy, sustainable, inclusive, and climate-resilient. Here, Per Karlsson prepares to serve up Swedish treats from the sea. Photo: Sabine Glaubitz/dpa-tmn - ATTENTION: editorial use only in connection with the aforementioned text
United States

ByHeart baby formula botulism likely linked to contaminated milk powder: FDA

FDA testing found the type of bacteria that could cause the illness in two samples used to make ByHeart’s baby milk powder.

Ashaan Carter lies on his mother at a Portland children’s hospital during his treatment for infant botulism in November 2025 after drinking ByHeart baby formula donated to vulnerable families. Photo: AP
China trade

Vietnam grabs bigger slice of China’s durian market as Thailand loses ground

Vietnam’s exports of the pungent fruit to China rose by US$500 million in 2025 as the country emerges as a serious rival to Thailand.

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China food security

Rooted in resilience: how China’s seed push has planted agricultural ‘chips’

Domestic varieties claiming bigger market shares for key crops and livestock, curbing reliance on foreign sources for vital food production.

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Brazil

Brazil beef exports seen as stable in 2026 as industry pivots beyond China

Beef lobby Abiec said volumes not sold to China could be redirected other markets.

A butcher weighs meat at a butcher shop in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2024. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan snaps into action as alligator weed chokes waterways

The seemingly innocuous alligator weed, or Alternanthera philoxeroides, poses a real problem, especially to rice farmers.

Malaysia

How a crop of young farmers is reshaping agriculture in Southeast Asia

Young people across Southeast Asia are using city spaces and new technologies to improve on traditional farming methods to grow produce.

Lessons from China's history

Reflections | What a Chinese hero’s fatal love of raw fish warns us about uncooked food

The recent sale of the most expensive tuna in Tokyo reflects sushi’s popularity, but an episode in Chinese history shows raw food’s dangers.

A Kiyomura staff member holds meat from the 243kg bluefin tuna the company recently bought at a Tokyo fish auction for a record US$3.2 million. Photo: Reuters
Singapore

Can Singapore’s farming future grow in Malaysia’s US$123 million food hub?

The city state’s farmers eye the Johor-Singapore SEZ for cheaper land and labour to boost food security amid high local costs.

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A vertical smart farm in Singapore. Photo: Hyundai Motor Group
Trending in China

‘Hold on tight’: China woman wins 22 pig-catching contests, biggest hog weighs 73kg

31-year-old who excelled at tug of war, shot-put in her youth is top exponent of pinning down swine; says technique relies on speed.

Science

China creates world’s first clone-hybrid rice that could double global output

Team developed 6 apomictic rice varieties tested over multiple generations in Hainan and Zhejiang provinces.

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Food and Drinks

Why crab is now fine dining’s ultimate luxury ingredient

American chefs are embracing this delicacy, used in omakase in New York and crab rice in San Francisco, as prices soar to over US$2,000 for a king crab.

Crab meat has become the season’s signifier in the luxury dining scene. Photo: @kinkan_la/Instagram
US-China relations

China buys two-thirds of pledged US soybeans as 2025 closes

Beijing has moved to reduce tariffs on the crop and lifted import bans on three US exporters after talks between Xi and Trump.

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A combine harvests a soybean field in Tracy, Minnesota, in October. Photo: TNS
China trade

China imposes beef-import quota, adds over-quota tariffs to guard local industry

From Thursday, over-quota imports from Brazil, Australia, US and other trade partners face new duties to help local producers recover amid price declines.

Malaysia

‘It’s cheap and worth it’: Malaysia’s durian glut triggers ‘happy hour’ frenzy

Bumper harvests prompt traders to offer rock-bottom prices as locals and tourists grab time-based deals on the spiky fruit.

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