Yields of the Asian staple rice are plummeting at twice the rate
modellers had predicted due to the increasing effects of global
warnings, according to a report from the Philippines-based International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI)....
Asian shrimp farmers have described a US ruling to increase tariffs
as 'regrettable' after increases of up to 112 per cent were slapped
on Chinese and Vietnamese producers' exports.
Thailand has confirmed a new bout of bird flu, sparking fears of a
return of the winter outbreak that left over 20 people dead and
devastated the region's poultry industry, writes Anthony
Fletcher.
Australia's biggest wine producer, Southcorp, has announced an
extensive restructuring designed to counteract the affects of a
downturn in the US economy and a weakened Australian dollar. The
AUS93 million (€53.7m) package involves...
Philippine-based food and beverage giant San Miguel has reported
that consolidated net profits in the five months to May of this
year rose 32 per cent to PHP3.29 billion (€47.98m), due mainly to
higher operating income from increased...
The establishment of large scale battery farms has pushed egg
production in China to 40 per cent of the world total. In turn
increased interest in egg-based foods, such as dairy products,
pre-packaged foods and bakery have all boosted...
A Hong Kong stock Exchange disclosure has revealed that investment
company Castlerigg International has bought a strategic 10.01 per
cent stake in China's Harbin Brewery, a move that looks likely to
put more pressure on international...
Innovative snack launches dominate this week's offerings from
Mintel's GNPD, featuring everything from a rice cracker salad with
dressing to a honey flavoured vitamin fortified drink.
The managers of Singapore-listed People's Food have moved to quash
speculation over a profit warning, following rumours that the
company was about to be downgraded by analysts.
Although 2004 is now expected to yield a bumper grain harvest in
China, with provinces announcing record crop levels, Beijing is
taking action to halt the country's fall in per-hectare yield of
cropland over recent years.
Joint ventures (JVs) are rapidly falling out of favour as the
preferred way of establishing a foothold in the China food market,
according to new research. Persistent problems with intellectual
property are highlighted as the core...
PT Indofood Sukses Makmur, the Indonesian wheat flour producer and
food company, has said it is expecting up to 5 per cent growth in
sales for 2004 in the same week that it launches a further bond
offering on the Surabaya Stock Exchange...
Reports from both New Zealand and Australian food authorities
suggest that foods in the region are cleaner, after separate
studies indicated that residue levels in the food supply were lower
than elsewhere in the world.
Swiss food giant Nestle has said that its Thai division is about to
introduce another major drive in its aims to consolidate the still
fragmented ice cream market in Thailand.
China's food and beverage industry continues to be a focus of long
term investment hopes for the multinationals, but as demands on
both ingredients and commodities put pressures on food prices a
report by Deloitte Touche stresses...
A recent report from the Australian National University indicates
that food and beverage companies in the Asia Pacific region will
continue to benefit from strong economic growth in 2004, but that
growth is set to fall back next year.
South Korea's largest liquor maker, Jinro, has moved one step
closer to a sale after a number of investment banks acknowledged
that they were prepared to advise on the matter.
SABMiller has confirmed that it will not proceed with its €500
million offer for Harbin Brewery, in a move that cedes control of
the key China brewer to rival Anheuser-Busch.
After years of struggling to meet increasing domestic demand for
soy products, Chinese government officials believe that discussions
with the Brazilian government may have solved the problem. Trade
talks held in Beijing this week...
Chinese wine imports increased by nearly 50 per cent last year,
according to figures released by the Beijing customs authorities,
with a value amounting to almost €26 million, an increase which is
being attributed to lower import...
Two of Europe's major retail chains, Carrefour and Metro, have
announced plans to expand their operations in China, while a third,
Tesco, is still on the hunt for a partner to enable it to enter the
country's market.
Foodborne diseases pose a serious threat to densely populated areas
of Asia and the Pacific - both to the health of the people living
there and to these regions' chances of exporting their products to
more developed markets in...
Czech Republic brewer Budejovicky Budvar has claimed to have won a
legal victory over global beer giant Anheuser-Busch after it was
granted sole use of its trademark by a South Korean high court,
following an appeal.
An Australian beef industry leader has indicated that the
Australian beef sector is riding a short-term boom following a
series of bans on US beef exports to major Asian markets.
Anheuser-Busch has announced the completion of a deal to purchase
around 29 per cent of Chinese brewer Harbin, which is currently
subject to a hostile takeover bid by SABMiller.
The latest launches from Mintel's GNPD database reveal an emphasis
on snacks and dairy products this week, with a varied selection of
new ranges from Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines that focus
on healthy properties.
Hangzhou Wahaha, one of China's leading manufacturers of fizzy
drinks has made its premier shipment of cola carbonated drinks to
the US, a first for a Chinese company.
Harbin, the leading Chinese brewery, has advised shareholders to
resist SABMiller's takeover bid for the company. The bid was
influenced by Ancheuser-Busch's 29 per cent acquisition of the
company earlier in the week. SABMiller...
Trade patterns are changing in South Korea. Until recently capital
goods and raw materials have totally dominated the market, but if a
recent exhibit for imported goods at the Seoul Convention and
Exhibition Center is anything to...
The Philippines-based San Miguel Corporation has announced a
regional expansion programme in an effort to increase its market
share outside of the saturated domestic market it now clearly
dominates. In the next six months the food,...
China's growing band of beer brewers is claiming that rising costs
of ingredients coupled with rising production costs is likely to
put between 10 and 20 per cent on the price of a beer during the
course of this month, a factor...
Japan may be about to review its policy of testing all slaughtered
cattle for mad cow disease, a practice Tokyo has asked Washington
to adopt as a condition for resuming US beef imports. This is
encouraging news for US meat processors,...
The Asian poultry industry continues to send out contradictory
messages in the wake of the bird flu outbreak. Whilst Thailand
looks set to restock its poultry flocks - a move which some
industry observers believe could be premature...
A recent report from the Lund University in Sweden on the ongoing
invasion of the golden apple snail in southeast Asia claims that it
is now having a devastating ecological effect, something that will
continue to seriously farming...
A British Pig Executive (BPEX) delegation is visiting Beijing at
the end of the month to encourage British exports to China, the
world's biggest market for pork.
China has recently relaxed the rules obliging foreign retail groups
to take a local partner, a move expected to lead to rapid growth in
the number of international food and beverage retailers doing
business there. But despite Chinese...
To counteract China's alleged abuse of patent protection the US
government is proposing legislation that would mean greater tariffs
on a variety of Chinese products including food and beverage items.
As the FAO continues its calls for caution over bird flu, South
Korea announced that a new outbreak of the disease has taken place
on a small battery farm just north of the capital, Seoul.
Thai fruit farmers have won a long battle to get their lychees and
longans onto the Australian market place, breaking a long ban by
Australian authorities which deemed the fruit as a potential
pest-carrying hazard to agricultural...
Food ingredients companies head off to China with agriculture chief
Fischler next week on a mission to boost trade relations and create
new business opportunities for the food industry.
Britain's biggest food retailer Tesco looks set to take a further
step towards its goal of competing with global giants such as
Carrefour and Wal-Mart with a move into the massive Chinese retail
market.
China claims to have had an early success in stamping out the bird
flu that has been causing severe hardships to the country's
numerous poultry farmers, after the mass culling of some nine
million birds over the seven weeks since...
Trade in food and beverage products is expected to grow
significantly on the back of an agreement made between China and
Vietnam which will end tariffs on nearly 500 seafood and
agricultural products during the course of the next...
Vietnam is seeking to import between 500,000 to 600,000 tonnes of
corn for feed as it moves to restock poultry flocks hit by the
outbreak of bird flu earlier this year, even though the FAO has
warned the country not to resume poultry...
Red meat sales in Australia are firmly back on the road to
recovery, according to statistics released today from Meat &
Livestock Australia. The figures show a second year of strong
recovery following dwindling sales in the 80s...
Japan's poultry industry is the latest sector to feel the effect of
avian influenza. Reported outbreaks of the virus in the
health-conscious country have eroded people's appetite for chicken
and hammered down the price of...
Britain's biggest food retailer Tesco looks set to take a further
step towards its goal of competing with global giants such as
Carrefour and Wal-Mart with a move into the massive Chinese retail
market.
After a week of denials and perhaps months of cover-ups, Thailand
has finally admitted that it has been hit by Avian 'flu, the
poultry virus that has ravaged other parts of East Asia. A Thai
minister told reporters that two boys...
In a move guaranteed to fuel further speculation that Thailand is
covering up cases of Avian 'flu, Japan today suspended poultry
imports from the south east Asian nation. The country continues to
deny that it is covering up cases...
The recent outbreak of Avian 'flu in East Asia - described by a WHO
spokesperson as being "potentially more dangerous than
SARS," - is devastating the poultry industries of Vietnam,
South Korea and Japan. We examine...
