Advertisement
Advertisement
TOPIC

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

6
Thailand

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

videocam
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.

videocam
An elderly Chinese farmer works a vegetable field in Anhui province. Photo: Getty Images
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

videocam
7
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.

videocam
93
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.

videocam
4
Consumer protection in Hong Kong

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

Amid the latest spate of illnesses, the city needs to adopt proactive and transparent strategies to ensure that customers can dine safely.

A diner eats fresh oysters at a food court in Causeway Bay on February 14. Photo: Nora Tam
China-Latin America relations

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

January surge puts 1.1 million tonne cap at risk, as Brasilia weighs export curbs to avert price slump and job losses.

Brazil is one of the world’s largest beef exporters, with China its single biggest overseas market in recent years. Photo: Getty Images
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.

videocam
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.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
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.

videocam
5
Austin Rohlfing harvests soybeans on his family’s field in Missouri. China is putting strategies in place to reduce its reliance on soybean in animal feed as 80 per cent is sourced from overseas, mostly the US and Brazil. Photo: AP
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.

videocam
4
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.

videocam
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.

The Dzungarian Alatau mountain range in Kazakhstan. Photo: Central Asia
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.

videocam
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.

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.

videocam
25
Arkansas soybean farmer Randall Shelby says renewed US-China tensions risk pushing already struggling growers deeper into the red. Photo: Randall Shelby
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.

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.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement