Traditional and staple foods

Special edition: Sustainable sourcing

SPECIAL FEATURE: In conversation with the WWF: The rocky road to sustainable palm oil

16-Jul-2013 By Elaine WATSON

The good news: Around 15% of global palm oil produced in the past year was certified by the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The bad news: Only half of it earned a premium, which doesn’t sound like a great recipe for inspiring more producers...

Kellogg partner Wilmar remains ‘undaunted’ by palm oil supply chain challenge

15-Jul-2013 By Kacey Culliney

Asian agri giant and Kellogg’s joint venture partner Wilmar International has defended its palm oil operations and insisted it remains undaunted by the challenge of ensuring a sustainable supply chain.

Thailand ready to send first sustainable palm oil shipment to Europe

11-Jul-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The third largest palm oil producer in the world, Thailand has now joined a select group of nations that supply certified sustainable palm oil (SCPO), with a first consignment ready for export to Europe.

Opinion: Food Security Bill

Forget about the middleman, embrace the middle-ground

10-Jul-2013 By RJ Whitehead

A new deal and a fresh start: that’s how the Indian government should approach the landmark ordinance that will be the new Food Security Law.

Analysis

Thai rice mortgage threatens to boil over with alarming possibilities

09-Jul-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Only six months ago, Thai policymakers remained unruffled by their controversial populist policy, which had at the time just marked its first anniversary. 

Food Corp of India recruiting over 11k to support Food Security Law

08-Jul-2013 By RJ Whitehead

In a massive recruitment drive ahead of the enactment of the Food Security Law, the Food Corporation of India is in the process of appointing more than 11,000 new staff, including hundreds in managerial positions. 

Aussie suppliers watch profitability plunge by almost 30%

08-Jul-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Australian food and grocery suppliers saw their profitability drop by 28% between 2010 and 2012, according to a report from he Australian Food and Grocery Council.

Finance

VKL to get $40m investment to focus fully on Indian QSR supply

05-Jul-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Private equity investor India Value Fund Advisors has revealed it will invest US$40m to finance the next phase of growth of a domestic food ingredients company – the latest in a line of QSR suppliers to catch the eye of buyout firms.

Commodities

India rushes to export more of its vast wheat stock before rot sets in

20-Jun-2013 By RJ Whitehead

With a quarter of the world’s harvested wheat stockpiled, and much of it a candidate for wastage, India is now considering adding a further 2m tonnes of the crop for export.

Growth in Asian demand is sweet reward for NZ’s fruit exports

20-Jun-2013 By RJ Whitehead

New Zealand’s Economic Development Ministry has released a report that suggests the country is on the way to becoming a major fresh fruit supplier to new markets in Asia.

Indian reforms offer a sweet outlook for sugar industry

17-Jun-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The future looks rosy for the Indian sugar sector following recent moves by the government to chop out-dated controls and introduce greater market freedom.

Indian National Food Security Bill

Gov't considers pushing Bill through in face of mounting opposition

13-Jun-2013 By RJ Whitehead

India’s National Food Security Bill is part of a conspiracy to impoverish farmers, according to the Samajwadi Party’s secretary general ahead of the government indicating it might convene a special parliamentary session to make the controversial plans...

China finally looking to act on cadmium rice scandal

13-Jun-2013 By RJ Whitehead

China's Ministry of Land and Resources has announced plans to conduct a survey across the country to assess pollution levels as a means to ascertain the reasons behind excessive cadmium content in rice detected in some regions early this year.

M&As

Rushi, J-Oil and Toyota form edible oil super-corporation in India

06-Jun-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Ruchi Soya, one of India's biggest food companies has entered into a joint-venture with J-Oil, Japan's leading edible oil business, and Toyota Tsusho Corporation, the global trading firm. The aim of the partnership is to develop and manufacture...

Oz gets export green light to end China’s blackleg ban on canola

04-Jun-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Australian canola producers can look forward to new market opportunities in the huge Chinese market after the first bulk shipments of the seed arrived in the country since it was banned.

Market research

China’s grocery market to grow by one-third, India to overtake Japan

04-Jun-2013 By RJ Whitehead

China, the world’s biggest food and grocery market, is now valued at more than US$1tn per year and is forecast to grow by a further one-third by 2016, according to latest figures published by IGD.

Food safety

Delhi told to get tough after high pesticide levels found in produce

03-Jun-2013 By RJ Whitehead

A government panel has called for stringent checks for pesticides in fruit and vegetables brought into Delhi after discovering that most of the produce it tested contained dangerous chemical residues.

Supermarket wars

Woolies attacks with discounts, Coles hits back with big-box booze

30-May-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Woolworths has broken an apparent ceasefire in Australia’s so-called supermarket wars by launching a fresh salvo at bitter rival Coles in the form of discounts of up to 33%.

Comment

China's opaque approach to rice data is becoming a massive concern

28-May-2013 By RJ Whitehead

China’s rice production is proving to be a conundrum for analysts and food organisations the world over. The simple fact is, nobody knows with any degree of certainty what’s happening there, and what little that can be divined is nothing short of puzzling.

Contest might realise Pinoy dream of half-cost rice production

27-May-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Competition for improving Filipino rice yields is heating up quite literally with a major challenge issued to farmers there.

Ankush at large

India’s food processors simply targeting the wrong kitchens

27-May-2013 By Ankush Chibber

If you have been following all the big research and consulting companies’ reports, you will be well used to hearing the words “purchasing power”, “disposable income” and “larger grocery basket”, mostly in that order.

Figures show India’s wealthy are flocking to organic food

23-May-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The number of wealthy Indians choosing organic food products has grown threefold over the last five years, according to a survey by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

Sale of forgotten wheat could put a dent in India's national debt

21-May-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The Food Corporation of India could potentially earn over Rs25,000 crore (US$4.5bn) by exporting wheat lying in open warehouses, according to an Assocham study.

Bouman: Don’t just ban pesticides, find other ways to protect rice

13-May-2013 By RJ Whitehead

In the wake of the European Commission’s announcement that it will adopt a proposal to restrict the use of three pesticides belonging to the neonicotinoid family, rice research guru Bas Bouman has called for Asia to take different approaches, including...

Indian health

Tamil Nadu outlaws edible tobacco

09-May-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has has become the latest to outlaw edible tobacco. The order, revealed by the chief minister in the state assembly, is expected to be passed next week.

Commodities

World waits to learn the impact of China and India’s rice market surge

07-May-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The recent rise of India as a rice exporter and of China—somewhat unexpectedly—as an importer is paving the way for increased uncertainty to the global market for the crop, according to one expert at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).

Research

Kiwi blackcurrants can reduce mental fatigue

07-May-2013 By RJ Whitehead

New Zealand’s blackcurrants can help stressed executives manage their busy work days, early research suggests.

SPC calls for emergency fruit tax to slow cheap tinned imports

30-Apr-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Troubled Goulburn Valley cannery and Australian household name SPC Ardmona has urged the federal government to impose an emergency tax on imports of cheap tinned fruits and tomatoes.

Opinion

Entrepreneurs must get backing to fix India’s crumbling supply chain

25-Apr-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Last week, we published a story revealing that India’s food consumption will double by 2030—a scary thought. But it’s all right, we are assured by the Confederation of Indian Industries that production is destined to increase to meet the demand as long...

Australian academic appointed to rice research board

23-Apr-2013

Australia’s newly appointed representative on the board of the International Rice Research Institute said she would use her role to seek ways to grow rice as a means to combat world food shortages.

Philippines must open up new markets for produce exports

22-Apr-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The growth of agro-based exports may be sustained with the opening up of new markets for sugar and bananas, according to the Philippines National Economic and Development Authority (Neda). 

Brazil venture to take pressure off China's domestic corn processing

22-Apr-2013 By RJ Whitehead

In a bid to slow down China's corn production, state-owned BBCA Group will invest US$320m in the construction of a plant to process corn in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul.

Grain development

New salt-tolerant rice strain could help in fight for food security

16-Apr-2013 By RJ Whitehead

A newly developed strain of rice tolerant to levels of salt found in seawater might become available to farmers in the next four to five years, and its impact on food security could be massive.

Ankush at large

Food makers should love India’s new food security Bill

16-Apr-2013 By Ankush Chibber

The charter of fundamental rights guaranteed under the Indian constitution is pretty consistent with the modern idea of liberal democracies. Much like elsewhere, an Indian citizen has the rights to free speech and equality, and the right to be free from...

Chinese staples

Corn production overtakes rice, leading to greater insecurity concerns

15-Apr-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Raising further concerns over China’s long-term food security, the production of corn in the country overtook that of rice for the first time last year, according to a report by the Chinese Academy for Social Sciences.

Fruit safety

NZ ministry investigating chemical residue in kiwifruit

09-Apr-2013 By RJ Whitehead

New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries is working with the kiwifruit industry and the supplier of a range of organically-certified citrus-based products following the unexpected discovery of very low residues of a chemical in some organic kiwifruit...

Grain policy

USDA slams India’s decision to export more year-old wheat

09-Apr-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The United States Department of Agriculture has hit out at the Indian government for allowing the export of an additional 5m tonnes of wheat last month, calling it unviable unless the mandated floor price is brought down.

Indian economy

Growing wealth of rural poor blamed for India’s food inflation

08-Apr-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The Reserve Bank of India Governor D Subbarao has sparked outrage by saying that a rise in rural incomes has resulted in increasing food inflation in the country. 

Intellectual property

Wilmar secures IP rights to grow China’s rice bran production

04-Apr-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Wilmar and RiceBran Technologies have announced a series of licencing tie-ins to develop rice bran and its derivatives in China. The venture will seek to develop the human food ingredient and animal nutrition markets in the country.

Food security

Gov’t enlisting private companies to manage chronic grain surplus

03-Apr-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The Indian government is looking at ways to give the private sector greater involvement as its bureaucracy struggles to manage the country’s sizeable grain stocks, according to KV Thomas, the food minister.

Interview: Richard Werran, CEO of Cert ID Europe

India’s elephant beginning to charge towards sustainability

28-Mar-2013 By RJ Whitehead

With over 30 years in the food industry, with a third of it spent providing and promoting food safety certification with Cert ID Europe, Richard Werran knows a fair bit about genetically modified crops in sustainable agriculture.

India’s new product development in packaged rice doubled in 2 years

26-Mar-2013 By RJ Whitehead

Mintel has reported that India leads the way in the Asia-Pacific packaged rice market, with the country’s development in new products more than doubling over the last two years. 

Manila Madness part 2

Embattled secretary pulls U-turn on self-sufficiency gaffe

21-Mar-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The Philippines’ Department of Agriculture has “clarified” the blue-skies announcement by its secretary, Proceso Alcala, in which when he said the country would be in a position to stop importing rice next year.

Indian politicking

Cabinet finally approves Food Security Bill. Next stop parliament

19-Mar-2013 By RJ Whitehead

After days of frenzied negotiations and brinksmanship, delays and declarations, the Indian cabinet has finally approved an ambitious plan to subsidise food for two-thirds of its population, according to early BBC reports.

Manila madness

Using foresight to shift attention from oversight

18-Mar-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The Philippines’ embattled agriculture secretary is clearly clairvoyant, otherwise he would never have come out with such a grand prediction as he did last week—that his government plans to shelve rice imports in 2014.

Growth of GM

World's sixth biggest GM grower, China will continue to import soy

07-Mar-2013 By RJ Whitehead

As concerns grow for the security of food supplies for its billion-plus population, China—the sixth biggest producer of genetically modified crops—has resolved to continue importing GM soybeans to satisfy domestic demand.

China's growth

China can alter global soymeal supply, starting with SE Asia

05-Mar-2013 By RJ Whitehead

China has the potential to replace South America as the dominant exporter of soymeal to Southeast Asia, according to a report from Rabobank. 

Inflation in India

Rising onion prices often lead to politicians' tears

28-Feb-2013 By RJ Whitehead

There’s always a weakness somewhere, and for the Indian government this is often the price of onions. And what must really be worrying the ruling politicians in New Delhi, as the finance minister delivers his Union Budget, is how the price of onions has...

Country of origin

Trans-Tasman food groups at loggerheads over labelling

20-Feb-2013 By RJ Whitehead

New Zealand’s commercial fruit and vegetable growers’ association has branded as ridiculous the latest claims by the Australian vegetable industry group, Ausveg, that Kiwi food manufacturers are bombarding their country with sub-standard frozen vegetables.

Licence raj

Sources suggest Indian sugar deregulation is nearing reality

19-Feb-2013 By RJ Whitehead

The fraught issue of government regulation on the Indian sugar industry might be on its way to a solution if a report in the Wall Street Journal is to be believed.