Showing posts with label Import. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Import. Show all posts

Tuesday 28 March 2017

Cambodia - Push to reduce chemical dependency

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The Ministry of Agriculture is working to develop a procedural framework for the trade and use of biological control agents (BCAs) in agriculture in an effort to improve crop yields, protect consumer health and ensure continued access to key export markets. Regulation could also create opportunities for the import or local production of BCA products a possibility that has piqued the interest of foreign firms.
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Speaking yesterday at a consultative meeting on regulations and national registration of biological control agents, Sam Chhom Sangha, deputy secretary-general of the Ministry of Agriculture, said the use of BCAs could provide “holistic” support to Cambodia’s struggling agriculture sector, which he claimed had been damaged by the overuse of chemical agents.
“We need to find ways to boost agricultural productivity, encourage crop resilience and diversification and improve commercialisation,” he said.
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“Our fields are under-producing and this is because the soil has been damaged by years of reckless use of chemicals.” 
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Biological control agents are an integral part of pest management programs that use natural mechanisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, algae or natural insect predators to protect crops from devastating plant diseases and insect infestations. While already in limited use in Cambodia, a regulatory framework on the trade and use of BCAs would facilitate the import of these products and provide solid footing for local production.
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“BCAs can improve our yields once we finalise and implement their regulation, allowing our farmers to be less dependent on chemical pesticides,” explained Sangha.The Ministry of Agriculture is working with regional experts to draft a national regulatory framework on biological control agents based on ASEAN guidelines.
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Sangha said the government must speed up its adoption of regulations or risk challenges to its agricultural exports as countries tighten restrictions on the import of contaminated products.
In one recent example, the European Commission has given Cambodian producers of white rice until June and fragrant rice until December to eliminate the use of the fungicide Tricyclazole. Failure to comply could block rice export shipments to the European Union, the Kingdom’s largest market for milled rice.
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Thomas Jaekel, a regional GIZ expert, said BCAs offers farmers an “economically and environmentally viable” way to increase yields by building crop resilience and improving soil quality. However, convincing Cambodian farmers to cut back on their chemical fertilisers and pesticides can be a challenge.
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“BCAs are used to complement, not eradicate, the use of chemicals, but the problem is that Cambodian farmers and distributors of chemicals are convinced that the more you spray your crops the better they will be,” he said.
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Jaekel noted that when Indonesia adopted ASEAN regulations in 2014 and set up the procedures for properly registering products, there was a massive uptake in applications for BCA products.
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“A week after the BCA regulation was approved in Indonesia, they had already over 10 applications from foreign and local firms trying to register their products,” he said.According to GIZ data, the Indonesian government receives almost 200 applications annually.
Sarah Anderson, a Singapore-based research and development project manager for German industrial giant BASF, said that despite BCAs having a limited market in ASEAN, there was plenty of room to grow. She said BASF, which has an entire arm dedicated to research and development of BCA products, would consider exporting to Cambodia if clear regulations were put in place.
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“The problem is that there is still a gap between government intentions and those of the traditional chemical distributors,” she said. “Easily 5 percent of the pesticide market in Cambodia could be replaced by bio-pesticides.” 
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However, she said the use of the products hinged on the government cutting red tape. “If the regulations are too strict or large companies see that costs are too high, they won’t enter the market,” she said.
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Ieng Sotheara, founder of Entree Baitang Co Ltd, said local demand for BCAs was growing. His company has been distributing Trichoderma – a naturally occurring fungicide that also protects plants against pests and toxins for the last two harvest cycles. 
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Last year, the company sold 100 tonnes of compost impregnated with Trichoderma. This year it has orders for 500 tonnes.
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Sotheara said he sells the locally-produced Trichoderma at $12 per kilo, or $400 per tonne when mixed with compost.
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“Some of the rice farmers say that it has increased their yields by 20 percent,” he said.
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Source - PhnomPenhPost

Monday 21 July 2014

Chinatown Yaowarat, #Bangkok


Chinatown is located in one of the oldest areas of Bangkok.
It represents the resettlement of Chinese on the Western bank of Chao Phraya river
after Rama I moved the capital of the kingdom from Thonburi to Rattanakosin.
From there Chinese traders operated maritime junk trade between (Siam)
and China throughout the Rattanakosin period. By the end of 1891,



 King Rama V had ordered the construction of many roads,
including Yaowarat Road. Chinatown does not consist of only Yaowarat Road,
but also includes others such as: Charoen Krung Road, Mungkorn Road,
Songwat Road, Songsawat Road, Chakkrawat Road, etc.


Yaowarat’s Sam Peng Market is the center of the area.
The path of the road is said to resemble a dragon’s curvy body,
making it an auspicious location for business. There are many shops selling gold,
garments, textiles, stationery, souvenirs, second-hand parts
and equipment, electric goods, computer parts, antiques,
imported musical instruments and local delicacies.
 

 Land prices around Yaowarat Road have always been one of the most expensive
in Bangkok and Thailand due to limited land which is mostly owned
by prominent Thai-Chinese families who are often leaders
in their respective industries.


Yaowarat Road  in Samphanthawong district is home to Bangkok’s Chinatown,
which is centred on Sam Pheng Lane. Chinatown’s Sam Pheng Market
is an old business centre noted for a post-WW II visit
by the young king Ananda Mahidol. Modern Chinatown now covers a large area
around Yaowarat and Charoen Krung Road.


 There are many small streets and alleys full of shops
and vendors selling all types of goods. It has been the main centre for trading
by the Chinese community since they moved from their old
site some 200 years ago to make way for the construction
of Wat Phra Kaew, the Grand Palace.

 
Nearby is the Phahurat or Indian market, and the area is bordered
by the Chao Phraya River to the south. Yaowarat Road is also well known for
its sheer variety of food, and at night turns into a large “food street”
that draws tourists and locals from all over the city.