Author: Shraddha Warde

The first plant in Lao PDR and the largest in Southeast Asia The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Monsoon Wind Power Company Limited (Monsoon) signed a $ 692.55 million nonrecourse project financing package to build a 600-megawatt wind power plant in Sekong and Attapeu provinces in the southern region of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) to export and sell power to neighbouring Viet Nam. Comprising 133 wind turbines, the project will be the largest wind power plant in Southeast Asia and the first in the Lao PDR. As a sole mandated lead arranger and book-runner, ADB has arranged, structured,…

As is a common pollutant in upland arable soils, which account for nearly 90 per cent of the world’s agricultural soil Upland arable soil constitutes 90 per cent of the world’s agricultural soil. Worryingly enough, these soils often contain arsenic (As), which can enter the human body through the crops grown. Calcium materials such as calcite and phosphogypsum are known to immobilise heavy metals in soils. In a new study, researchers from Korea evaluated and compared the effectiveness of these two materials in mitigating As availability for crops in soils spiked with arsenate, a pentavalent form of As. Of all…

A Hikvision solar-powered camera automatically takes a snapshot at regular intervals, aside from video recording Hikvision helped scientists at a National Nature Reserve to better understand the growth of a rare grape variety, assisting in the study of this species, and facilitating their protection and cultivation work. In 1984, the first wild Baihuashan grapevine was found in the west of Beijing, China. This remained the only individual grapevine of its species found in the wild until 2016. Up to now, only these two specimens have been found in the wild, making this kind of grape more endangered than the giant panda.…

Triplebar and Umami teams will work to improve the fitness and performance of cell lines to enable lower-cost, more efficient production of cultivated foods. Biotechnology company Triplebar and cultivated seafood platform company Umami Meats are partnering to co-develop optimised cell lines suitable for large-scale production of cultivated seafood – starting with one of the most popular and critically endangered fish species. Emeryville, California-based Triplebar and Singapore-headquartered Umami Meats signed a letter of intent this month to collaborate on shared technical milestones, with the unified mission of producing commercially viable, scalable, and affordable cultivated seafood. Their first project will be Japanese…

The EU market opening will benefit local pili processors and exporters including thousands of pili farmers Dried pili nuts from the Philippines can now enter the European Union (EU) following the issuance of the European Commission Implementing Regulation (EU). The document signed authorises the inclusion of dried pili nuts in the Union’s list of novel foods that may be placed on the EU market after it passed the EU’s food safety and labelling requirements. In line with the directive of Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. President to boost high-value crops for export, the Department of Agriculture (DA) welcomed the EU issuance…

In 2022, Xinjiang’s total grain output increased for seven consecutive years Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region had built about 3.34 million hectares of high-standard farmland by the end of 2022, accounting for 47.39 per cent of its arable land, according to the Xinhua News Agency. Last year, Xinjiang allocated 2.07 billion yuan (about $297.88 million) to subsidise the construction of high-standard farmland and built 7.15 million mu of high-standard farmland. It significantly improved the quality of cultivated land and increased grain production capacity by 10 to 20 per cent, said the regional department of agriculture and rural affairs. The…

The move will help diversify food product sources and stimulate the region’s agri-food sectors Saudi Arabian agriculture technology startup RedSea has launched operations at its first greenhouse facility in Abu Dhabi. The move will help diversify food product sources and stimulate the region’s agri-food sectors. The one-hectare showcase facility will enable broader adoption of the technologies in the UAE to benefit local growers and significantly impact Abu Dhabi’s agricultural ecosystem.   With climate change and increasing global food shortages, the UAE and the Middle East are leading the way in addressing these huge issues ahead of COP 28. Ryan Lefers, CEO…

South Korea is the first market to launch Enzae Manno, made with Natupulse TS, a preparation of mannanase, produced by BASF’s new production strain Thermothelomyces thermophiles.  BASF and Cargill (Provimi) expand their partnership, adding South Korea, the first Asian nation, to their existing feed enzymes development and distribution agreement. Together, the two companies are committed to bringing innovative enzyme-based solutions to the market, generating distinctive value for animal feed customers. By combining the enzyme research and development strengths of BASF with Cargill’s know-how in the application and broad market reach, the partners will form a joint innovation pipeline for animal protein producers. In fact,…

The project will also finance off-grid rooftop solar panels for 200 stores and 5 distribution centres The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an equity investment of $15 million in DALI Hard Discount to expand its network of retail stores and distribution centres and cold chain infrastructure in the Philippines, creating at least 4,300 new jobs, nearly half of them for women. “Almost half of the households in the Philippines are moderately or severely food insecure, and rising inflation is making it more expensive for them to purchase essential household products,” said Suzanne Gaboury ADB Director General for Private Sector…

In 2023, the DA earmarked P30 billion in funds under the National Rice Program for the provision of hybrid and inbred or certified seeds A strategic plan is now being developed by the Philippines Department of Agriculture (DA) that will promote the planting of hybrid seeds to 1.5 million hectares of rice land during the dry season, Agriculture Assistant Secretary for Operations Arnel De Mesa said. This was after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. approved the adoption of hybrid rice varieties that will help local farmers enhance their crop production. The President, who also is also the DA Secretary, is…