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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.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
An auction selling fresh meat of fin whales at a fish market in Shimonoseki. Photo: AP
Japan

Japan auctions fresh fin whale meat for first time in decades

Japan resumed commercial whaling within its exclusive economic zone after withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission in 2019.

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US-China relations

US House advances defence bill that bans Chinese goods from tech to garlic

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China food security

China hopes to breed success with focus on quality soybean varieties

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Wellness

Beans, peas better than veggie burgers as alternatives to meat

Eating plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy lowers the chance of an early death. Scientists ranked the best foods to switch to.

Natural, unprocessed foods such as beans, peas and soybeans are better alternatives to meat and dairy than processed foods such as veggie burgers in terms of health, environmental impact and cost, according to a University of Oxford study. Photo: Shutterstock
Food and Drinks

Why prickly pear is a crop with potential in a warming world

In arid southern Italy, where drought, disease and global warming ravage olive trees, a start-up is growing prickly pear, a food and biofuel.

China trade

Will China turn to Argentina to fill its farming import gap? Wheat and see

The first wheat shipment from Argentina to China since the 1990s suggests a deeper trade relationship could be on the horizon.

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China food security

China announces plan to cut food waste at production, transport and storage end

Amid climate change and geopolitical pressures, Communist Party aims to raise public awareness about saving food, waste and healthy eating.

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China is cracking down on food waste. Photo: Xinhua
Robotics

Chinese start-up wants to replace human chefs with robots

Cooking robots can help restaurants cut labour costs by 30 per cent, and reduce food and seasoning waste by 10 per cent.

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China manufacturing

China wants to turn Xinjiang’s vast deserts into a string of pearls

Millions of pearls are already being harvested in the Taklimakan Desert, as China tries to turn the arid region into a hub for aquaculture.

Science

China surrounds ‘sea of death’ Taklamakan Desert with giant green belt

Just completed multi-decade project in Xinjiang region is intended to help prevent desertification and boost local economies.

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China has construction a vast green belt of salt-tolerant, drought-resistant plants to combat desertification in the Xinjiang region. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Diplomacy

Opinion | Can Global South and G20 lead new era of poverty reduction?

The credibility of developing countries in the fight against poverty stems from lived experience rather than theoretical discourse.

Children sit in a camp in Gedaref, Sudan, for people displaced due to fighting in Sinja, on July 24. Photo: EPA-EFE
Hong Kong society

Editorial | Raise fines on Hongkongers for illegal imports of groceries

Hongkongers are increasingly bringing in raw meat, eggs and other food items from the mainland in contravention of the law.

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Donald Trump

Trump taps Rollins as agriculture chief for his final cabinet secretary pick

Several spots that are traditionally cabinet-level remain, including US trade representative and head of the small business administration.

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US-China relations

US blacklists 29 more Chinese companies over alleged forced labour in Xinjiang

Products of offending firms range from hi-tech inputs such as polysilicon to food products like tomato paste, according to Homeland Security.

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A picker harvests tomatoes in China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in September. Photo: Xinhua
The Philippines

‘We don’t have anything to harvest’: storm-hit Philippines faces rice crisis

The onslaught from six storms caused at least US$131 million of crop losses, with rice bearing the brunt of the damage.

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A farmer inspects his flooded rice field in Cagayan province, Philippines, on November 8. Photo: AFP
Food and Drinks

Mouthing Off | Why there’s a big problem with organic food labelling in Hong Kong

With no concrete rules or oversight, goods displaying organic labels in Hong Kong may not be that at all. One organisation wants to fix that.

Business of climate change

Lab-grown meat lands on Hong Kong plates via Australian start-up

The Aubrey at the Mandarin Oriental has introduced two dishes featuring Sydney-based Vow’s cultured Japanese quail.

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India

‘Cannot wait to sow seeds’: Indian farmers burn stubble despite fines, toxic smog

While authorities fine violators, farmers say they are forced to burn due to the short window between harvests and lack of government support.

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Farmers burn stubble in a rice field in the northern state of Haryana, India, on October 21. Photo: Reuters
Climate change

Future-proofing rice: how Asia’s farmers are innovating against climate odds

From India to Vietnam, a new wave of innovation is transforming traditional rice farming into a resilient and eco-friendly industry.

China food safety

China imposes new cooking oil transport rules after fuel tanker scandal

From February, containers used to transport food oils must comply with hygiene standards, and be labelled.

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Ukraine war

Ukraine mine-clearing efforts struggle to revive war-torn farms

Farmers are doing their best to scale mine-clearing efforts in the most mined country in the world, but it could be decades of work.

Flags signalling landmines on a demining training field at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence training center in the Chernihiv region, Ukraine, on November 1. Photo: EPA-EFE
China's economic recovery

Exclusive | How is New Hope heiress adapting to changing consumer preferences?

Liu Chang says her parents’ generation enjoyed more entrepreneurial advantages but companies can still find opportunities.

New Hope Liuhe chairwoman Liu Chang at the Caixin Summit in Beijing on November 8. Photo: Handout
China trade

Can Chinese tea find favour in coffee-crazy US?

American fan of Chinese crosstalk comedy finds that cultural connection helps attract customers to online teahouse.

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United States

McDonald’s wants to make flatulent cows less of a problem for environment

The fast food giant is working with a seed company and a meat supplier on a more easily digestible cattle feed, to reduce the methane produced.

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Food and Drinks

New limited-edition sparkling tea inspired by a tiny Taiwan tea garden

Leaves from Taiwan’s Junjie Lin Tea Garden were used to make Hong Kong- and UK-based Saicho’s limited-edition Sixty Stone Mountain bottle.

Saicho’s limited edition Sixty Stone Mountain sparkling tea was made using the tea leaves harvested at Lin Junjie’s organic tea plantation in Hualien County, Taiwan. Photo: Saicho
Science

Chinese scientists modify tomatoes to make them ‘significantly sweeter’

Glucose and fructose levels were 30 per cent higher after researchers removed two genes that regulate sugar content, according to study.

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Most consumers prefer sweeter fresh tomatoes. Photo: EPA
China trade

Could ‘Peace Beans’ trade enrich US, China agricultural supply-chain diplomacy?

With a focus on American soybeans and Chinese coffee beans, project by US think tank and Chinese university focuses on enhancing agricultural trade.

China trade

US farmers sign big deals at CIIE expo, easing concerns about scale of trade war

‘Agricultural products are an important part of bilateral trade between China and the US,’ AmCham Shanghai says.

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