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Food and agriculture

Food and agriculture
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on food and agriculture, with a focus on Hong Kong, mainland China and Asia.
A worker turns excelsa coffee beans to dry near Nzara, South Sudan, on February 15, 2025. Photo: AP
Africa

Opinion | Beijing’s supply-chain hedging strategy can help African food security

While governments must avoid swapping one dependency for another, Beijing’s inroads could help enhance food security efforts.

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Myanmar

Fuel crisis at planting season threatens Myanmar’s fragile economy

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The Philippines

Filipino farmers leave crops to rot as fuel prices drive up cost of harvest

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100 Top Tables: Cities of Gastronomy

The Chinese Wine Awards shine a spotlight on flourishing mainland vineyards

Local restaurants and the Chinese Wine Awards mark the growing interest in home-grown vintages.

Supported by
Macau Government Tourism Office
Chinese wines are increasing in popularity and holding their own against old world vintages. Photo: AFP
China inflation

China to boost frozen pork reserves as hog prices tumble to multi-year troughs

The national average hog price fell to an eight-year low of 10.68 yuan per kg in the fourth week of March.

US, Israel war on Iran

Why spike in fertiliser prices could boost China’s political clout

Beijing could see its regional leverage grow as the Iran war hits supply, though weaponisation of exports is unlikely, analysts say.

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100 Top Tables: Cities of Gastronomy

Macau’s culinary festival blends luxury dining with sustainability

Restaurants across the Greater Bay Area are underlining their commitment to the environment by showcasing zero-waste kitchens, hyperlocal seafood and organic ingredients.

Supported by
Macau Government Tourism Office
Crispy codfish balls at Mesa by José Avillez, where the menu is a product of what the kitchen grows itself. Photo: Handout
The Philippines

How soaring fuel prices are pushing Filipino farmers to the brink

Farmer Elmer Ullani spent seven hours transporting his produce to a trading post, but says he has nothing left after paying for fuel.

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China food security

How China’s massive pig farms created a serious pork supply glut

Vast hog farms – some rising 26 storeys high – have caused China’s pig herd to swell, but consumers dislike the industrially produced meat.

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Indonesia

Indonesia slashes free meals budget to save US$2.3 billion as fuel prices soar

President Prabowo Subianto had previously insisted that the meal programme would be untouched.

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Students pray before eating food supplied by the Indonesian government’s free meal programme at an elementary school in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Indonesia, on October 30 last year. Photo: AFP
US-China trade war

Trump pitches China trade ‘win’ to US farmers ahead of Xi meeting, midterms

Claims come despite farmers remaining unsure if China will meet its 25 million-tonne commitment for 2026, as planting season approaches.

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US President Donald Trump gestures to farmers from the Truman balcony of the White House in Washington on Friday. Photo: AFP
China food security

China rushes to stabilise fertiliser market as Iran war chokes off imports

China is pushing firms to release their fertiliser reserves in time for the vital spring planting season, as supplies of key inputs tighten.

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China consumption

How ‘salmon’ raised in landlocked Xinjiang is netting fans in China

Aquaculture in the far-western region is expected to grow even more rapidly after a dependence on imported eggs is diminished or ended.

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China food security

China taps reserves as Iran war disrupts 30% of global fertiliser trade

War in the Middle East is causing global disruption – from oil to agriculture – as countries, including China, enter spring planting season.

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As China and other northern hemisphere countries enter spring planting season, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has said war in the Middle East could have a serious impact on global food prices if it continues beyond three months. Photo: Xinhua
Food and Drinks

How a Taiwanese chemist built a soy empire in Australia

Eric Hsu put his chemistry degree to good use, turning his garage-based business into one of Australia’s biggest makers of soy products.

King International co-founder and managing director Eric Hsu was born in Taiwan and worked as a chemist before immigrating to Australia in the 1980s. Photo: Eric Hsu
Artificial intelligence

AI | AI to narrow China’s rural-urban economic divide

Farmers, schools and healthcare facilities in rural China are benefiting from policies designed to promote the use of artificial intelligence nationwide.

Thailand

Inside the coconut cartel: how Chinese money squeezes Thai farmers

With Chinese investors seizing the supply chain, Thai coconuts now fetch less than a piece of chewing gum, wiping out profits for growers.

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Thailand

‘Farmers bear the cost’: Iran war knocks out Thai Mideast rice exports

The situation could ripple through the nation’s economy and further batter growers struggling with falling domestic prices.

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A rice vendor waits for customers at a market in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: EPA-EFE
China consumption

Beijing urged to boost rural pensions as lawmakers fight for farmers’ fair share

Appeals highlight a long-standing lack of benefits for elderly citizens outside cities, and proposals include leveraging state assets and new taxes to bridge the vast disparity.

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China food security

China targets record food-security push in shadow of US-Israeli war with Iran

Beijing is pushing for bigger harvests in its new five-year plan, coinciding with renewed pressure on global supply chains.

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US, Israel war on Iran

Sowing the seeds of hunger: war on Iran puts Asia’s next harvest at risk

As Gulf gas plants go offline, missing fertiliser shipments today could mean empty shelves and record food prices by autumn.

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Farmers sow paddy saplings in a field on the outskirts of Guwahati, India, last month. Photo: AP
China trade

Iran war fallout grows as China struggles to import vital fertiliser chemical

Supplies of sulphur – a key fertiliser ingredient – are tightening in China just as the spring planting season begins.

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Smoke rises above buildings in Tehran after air strikes on March 1. The escalating conflict in the Middle East is leading to tight supplies of sulphur in China. Photo: Getty Images
Food and Drinks

Shine muscat grapes grown in Hong Kong? She’s doing it – using baby formula

Yan Fuqin’s organic farm in Kwu Tung uses Mead Johnson formula to grow soft, creamy shine muscat grapes, but its future is under threat.

Food and Drinks

Can Cadbury chocolate-fed Wagyu outshine Japan’s finest beef?

Raising cattle on confectionery might sound crazy, but to Australian Wagyu producer Mayura Station, it’s ingenious and makes a difference.

China food security

Explaining China’s 2026 rural blueprint

SCMP Plus annotates the No 1 document released by the Communist Party’s Central Committee and State Council setting out key rural policies for the year.

Explaining China’s 2026 rural blueprint
China food security

Opinion | How China’s national food security push could reshape global markets

Amid increasing pressure from trade wars and climate change, Beijing is reframing agriculture as a matter of national security.

Farmers pick grapes in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province on June 6, 2025. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
US-China trade war

Trump lashes out at US Supreme Court, rolls out new 10% global tariffs

Decision threatens administration’s trade agenda; casts shadow on Xi-Trump summit as some China tariffs wiped out before Beijing talks.

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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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