Rice farmers rejoicing but consumers frowning in Thailand amid global price spikes and shortages

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Earlier this month, Thai local media reported that a clean while had greatly impacted thousands of acres of rice grounds in the northern county of Phichit. In addition, & nbsp,

Unpredictable weather patterns have seriously threatened the corn crops of grower Weerada Wongsuwan in another state, Nakhon Pathom.

The 44-year-old told CNA that usually I’ll get to land three times a month, but this year I can only do it double due to the storms.

She claimed that El Nino has already issued warnings to farmers about potential droughts out of concern that she might not be able to land if there isn’t enough liquid available. & nbsp,

” I’ll have to do something else if I didn’t develop corn.” I’m growing greens on the side because of this. She continued,” I just have to try.

Important wheat importers in Southeast Asia have implemented measures to stop accumulating and regulate market prices in the wake of the global rice lack.

For example, the government in the Philippines has set price caps on grain across the country and regularly inspects its warehouses.

On September 7, a purchase limit was put in place in Malaysia to regulate retail purchases. Now, consumers are permitted to purchase 10 bags of 10 kg of grain annually. & nbsp,

A lot will depend on El Nino’s effects and whether another significant wheat exporters, such as Vietnam and Thailand, maintain trade amounts and abstain from enacting their own restrictions, according to Mr. Glauber.

A DIFFICULT Potential FOR THAI RICE

The future of Thai corn may not be as promising as several think, according to a recent review by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

The study found that over the previous ten years, its yield per rai( 0.16ha ) decreased. Thai fields averaged 463 kg of wheat per ray in 2012, but by 2022, that number had decreased to 445 kg. & nbsp,

Thailand’s performance was significantly lower than that of major rivals like India and Vietnam, which last year produced 1, 107 kg and 978 kg of grain per rai, both. & nbsp,

The same study also found that Thai grain farmers had the fewest savings per ray left over from the previous month out of all those in Southeast Asia.

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Air travel between Singapore and China takes off again, but may need time to reach pre-COVID heights

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According to Mr. Lim, Singapore used to be connected to some second – or third-tier cities but does not now have direct contacts with them.

The airlines, the flights, and the travel providers( are) still organizing themselves for international flights, so they aren’t really available, which is the main reason. However, we are certain that there is a need for both instructions ,” he continued. & nbsp,

The demand for outbound travel to Singapore( and ) Southeast Asia is very high for these second – and third-tier cities. As a result, the people are it( and) simply awaiting the arrival of the airlines.

The airport wants to connect Singapore with Taiwanese places that are less traveled in addition to reconnecting recently established roads.

The best five places for customer action in August were Nanjing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, and Hangzhou.

Some Singaporean tourists visit well-known Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai, but Mr. Lim said that” they are interested to go to new areas like Xinjiang and Guiyang.” & nbsp,

Therefore, we are certain that passengers will board the( planes ) as soon as the flights take off.

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Eastern Economic Forum eclipsed by Kim-Putin meeting

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Kim Jong Un’s meeting with Vladimir Putin has eclipsed Russia’s Eastern Economic Forum and related news, but there is a lot going on in eastern Russia that is of relevance to the development of a new, non-Western international order.

The eighth Eastern Economic Forum was held in Vladivostok from September 10 to 13. The forum’s purpose is to promote investment and business development in the Russian Far East and to expand trade and other interaction with the Asia-Pacific region. 

To this end, business executives, development experts and government representatives from India, China, Mongolia, ASEAN and other countries attended events related to trade, investment, infrastructure, energy, tourism, education and culture. 

In his plenary-session address, President Putin noted that Russia’s trade with Asia-Pacific countries had increased by 13.7% in 2022 and was up 18.3% in the first six months of 2023 – despite sanctions imposed by Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

At a briefing during the forum, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed out, “Foreign trade between the [Russian] Far Eastern regions and their foreign partners has grown by 14% in terms of freight and by 11% in monetary terms in the first eight months of 2023.

“Nearly 2.9 trillion rubles [US$30 billion at the current exchange rate],” she added, “have been invested in the PDAs [priority development areas] and the Free Port of Vladivostok, with foreign capital accounting for 340 billion rubles.”

China-Russia trade

Xi Jinping did not attend the forum, but Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing was there, telling Putin, “We have every reason to believe that the goal … to bring bilateral trade [between China and Russia] to $200 billion will be achieved ahead of schedule this year,” according to TASS. In the eight months to August, China’s total trade with Russia was up 32% year on year to $155 billion.

Looking to the long term, the Russian president said: “We will definitely not be scaling down the pace of development in the region, because the development of the Far East is an absolute priority for Russia, a direct priority for Russia as a whole for the entire 21st century.”

On the first day of the forum, China’s Xuan Yuan Industrial Development Company (XY Group) reached an agreement with the Amur Region Investment Attraction Agency to build an industrial park.

XY Group plans to invest 10 billion rubles in facilities to produce a variety of goods including robots, 3D printers, drones, wind turbine blades, LNG (liquefied natural gas) and helium storage and transportation tanks, and other products. More than 400 jobs could be created.

Chief executive officer Xue Hailong, quoted by RT, said:

“We want to build something new, different from what we had before – a new industrial park complex for the production of intelligent equipment. We know that there are good business opportunities in the Amur region, we have already looked at the site offered to us. We plan to attract experienced Chinese manufacturers to work with us.” 

Two days later, it was reported that XY Group had also reached an agreement with Russian investors to build a logistics terminal at the Russian end of the Tongjiang-Nizhneleninskoye railway bridge across the Amur River at a cost of $600 million to $700 million. Scheduled for completion in 2027, the terminal will handle LNG, liquefied petroleum gas, aviation fuel and other products.

XY Group is a trading and investment company based in Harbin that claims to be the largest Chinese investor in Russia. Active all over the world, it also deals in steel, building materials, chemicals, railroad equipment, urban heating and power supply, public security systems and real-estate development. One of its projects is the Chinese Commercial Street shopping district in Nakhodka.

On September 16, TASS reported that an agreement with SA International had been signed under which the Chinese mechanical and electrical engineering company will build a plant in the Amur Region to produce port equipment.

Headquartered in Shanghai, SA International provides equipment for projects in the fields of building and road construction, mining and metallurgy, chemicals and industrial production lines. It has clients in Russia, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Europe and Canada. 

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev, who is also presidential plenipotentiary envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, noted that the Amur Region attracted the largest amount of investment in connection with the forum.

Quoted by TASS, he also said that foreign companies account for about 7% of investment in the Russian Far East and that “this is not bad.” In any case, that percentage is going up.

India resumes focus on region

Indian and Russian officials announced their intent to modernize port facilities and otherwise facilitate an increase in commercial shipping along an Eastern Maritime Corridor (EMC) between Vladivostok and Chennai. This project was launched in 2019, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the Eastern Economic Forum, but was delayed by the Covid-19 outbreak. 

India’s minister of ports, shipping and waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, proposed that a workshop on the EMC be held in Chennai starting on October 30 to discuss its “smooth and swift operationalization,” according to RT.

In an official statement, Sonowal wrote: “As our teams hedged their effort for an early operationalization of EMC, the visit to Vladivostok, Vostochny, Nakhodka and Kozmino was particularly helpful.” The city of Nakhodka and Vostochny and Kozmino ports are located on Nakhodka Bay east of Vladivostok.

Russia’s minister of development of the Far East and the Arctic, Aleksey Chekunkov, told the news media that the EMC can be used to transport coal, oil, LNG, fertilizers and other cargo.

“Strong ties between our countries were built back in the Soviet period and today they are reaching a new qualitative level,” he said, according to RIA Novosti. 

RT notes that Indian investors already have experience implementing projects in the region and have made use of incentives provided in priority development areas and the free port of Vladivostok. 

According to Chekunkov, in previous years, Indian companies focused on energy, diamonds and the tea business, while new projects are currently being discussed in the mining, shipbuilding, gas chemistry, logistics, construction and development sectors, as well as pharmaceuticals. 

Primorsky Region’s ties to China

As the administrative center of the Primorsky Region, Vladivostok is also pursuing more trade with and investment from China.

In June, while attending the Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair, Boris Stupnitsky, head of the region’s Trade and Industrial Council, told TASS: “We expect an increase in mutual trade turnover and are looking for deeper economic ties with Chinese partners in agriculture, transport and logistics. We also want to attract Chinese investment to Primorsky Region to boost its development.” 

More than half of the Primorsky Region’s trade is conducted with China, much of it with the neighboring province of Heilongjiang. Delegations from the two regions led by the governor of Heilongjiang province, Han Shengjiang, and the Primorsky Region’s first vice-governor Vera Shcherbina met at the Eastern Economic Forum to discuss trade, investment, logistics, agriculture and other issues.  

Trade between the two regions is rebounding after Covid, with local officials targeting a one-third increase from 2022 to 2024. Shcherbina told her guests, “Chinese companies are returning to Primorsky Krai to implement their projects. We see this in business activity and the increase in tourist flow.”

Putin told the forum: “The Far Eastern Federal District accounts for 40% of Russia’s territory. Almost half of our forestland and gold reserves, more than 70% of our fish, diamonds, and over 30% of titanium, copper and so on are located here. Critically important strategic enterprises, seaports and railroads are located here. 

“It is necessary,” he continued, “to talk not only about the development of mineral resources … [but] to build even more enterprises for the processing of industrial raw materials, so as to increase the added value.… [In addition] we will strengthen aircraft construction [such as the SSJ-100 passenger jet] [and] shipbuilding; we will engage in developing industrial production across the most diverse range of sectors.” 

To facilitate this, special tax and administrative incentives have been implemented and infrastructure construction projects are under way. A new residential district is being built in Vladivostok and schools, hospitals and other public facilities in priority development areas are being built or repaired in order to attract and serve a growing population. 

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said: “The Russian Far East is at the forefront of developing relations with the Asia-Pacific countries that enjoy sovereignty and can independently determine their own future.

“Amid the dismantling of bilateral cooperation with Japan to please the West, [Russia’s] trade with China, India, and several countries in Central and Southeast Asia is experiencing explosive growth.” 

We will have to wait and see how long this continues and how successful the projects launched at the Eastern Economic Forum will be, but it is obvious who will and will not benefit.

Follow this writer on Twitter @ScottFo83517667.

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New college targets drug trafficking

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New college targets drug trafficking
A memorandum of understanding on anti-drug cooperation is displayed in Chiang Rai by Jeremy Douglas, an UNODC local agent, and Ichai Chaimongkhon, the ONCB secretary-general. Tangsathaporn Poramet

In order to combat drug trafficking in the Mekong subregion, the newly established International Narcotics Control College ( INCC) in Chiang Rai aims to train law enforcement officers and partner organizations.

The & nbsp; The Hall of Opium mixture, also known as Thailand’s opium exhibition, is home to the first school of its kind in the Mekong region, located in Chiang Saen.

The Office of Narcotics Control Board ( ONCB ) of Thailand and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ( UNODC ) recently launched it.

” Training opportunity.”

The school will provide the ONCB and its partners with a good opportunity to offer cutting-edge programs to address medicine problems, according to Jeremy Douglas, the UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and Pacific, who spoke with the Bangkok Post.

He stated that” we are considering offering courses at the INCC in drug intelligence and research, border control, herald chemical power, as well as drug plan and demand decrease.”

Others may involve shared training with authorities from Laos and other nations, while some will get for Thai agencies. “”

He stated that in addition to the INCC, the ONCB’s Safe Mekong Coordination Center ( SMCC) in Chiang Saen will continue to keep an eye on drug trafficking in the nations of the Golden Triangle and the MEKONG subregion.

Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand make up the Golden Triangle, a significant opium-producing region in Southeast Asia.

According to Mr. Douglas, the UNODC may offer new intelligence technology and training as well as support for SMCC tasks like drug analysis.

He added that it is significant and never lost on us that the INCC and SMCC are located together in the Golden Triangle just a kilometer from Myanmar and Laos’ edges.

Even though it is a little far away, it’s still in some ways the ideal location. “”

In order to address the region’s drug issues and cross-border crime, local determination is essential, he said.

The six Mekong subregion nations of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and China recently came to an agreement on new legislation enforcement approaches at meetings like the most new MoU on Drug Control in Beijing, which he highlighted.

He claimed that although Asean countries had recently gathered to discuss anti-drug procedures, it was still difficult for them to take into account information about the underlying causes and conditions and approach circumstances strategically.

He claimed that for many people, relationship with Myanmar is constrained and socially challenging. Separate groups in the nation’s Shan state are deeply involved but are not part of the conversation, he continued, noting that the drug problem is concentrated there.

Given the situation in Shan and border regions, there is actual necessity, he said. Sincerely, the situation’s flight is not favorable. “”

In addition to working with another Mekong nations and the UNODC, Myanmar’s neighbors, including China and Thailand, are coordinating, but knowledge sharing and level of cooperation must be more important if actual development is to be made, he said.

INCC in particular

The Mae Fah Luang Foundation, which is in charge of the Hall of Opium, donated some property to the ONCB, according to Ichai Chaimongkhon, the organization’s secretary-general, who told the Bangkok Post that INCC was founded.

The ONCB had the idea to establish a global anti-drugs establishment for residents of the subregion, which eventually led to the INCC.

According to Mr. Wichai, the programme will primarily focus on teaching investigation, avoidance, and suppression concepts. He added that the school serves as a study hub in the area.

To assist provide first-hand experience on how to combat drug trafficking on land and in water, the university itself is situated in a bush close to the Mekong River.

Thailand is located in the Mekong subregion’s center. Therefore, according to Mr. Wichai, it is a convenient location for people from the region to join.

He claimed that the ONCB’s Drug Prevention and Suppression Fund has provided funding for the INCC, which will now have a shooting gallery, mock crime scenes, conference and learning resources, and housing for employees.

He claimed that the prosecutor had seized funds from drug traffickers from some of the budgets under this account.

” We use this money to construct this structure and improve the capabilities of our officials and local partners.”

He added,” We are also attempting to pass laws allowing the planting of opium in this center primarily for research.”

The UNODC, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia even support the center.

Despite the college’s current openness, according to Mr. Wichai, the start was only the beginning of the development because some facilities, including the conference room, shooting range, and medication research center, are still under construction.

By the following year, the center is anticipated to get finished.

In particular during this time when drug offences are becoming highly digitized and complex, he said,” We hope this education center will strengthen crime-solving powers in the Mekong region.”

He claimed that medicine traffickers” constantly find new ways and use technology to bring drugs.”

” In order to be able to deal with drug acts in the area, we need to enhance our power. “”

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Ministry to form cannabis panel to study bill

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PUBLISHED: 17 September 2023 at 4:00 p.m.

Cannabis may only be used for medical and health reasons, according to a board that will be formed by the Ministry of Public Health to study the legislation.

Cholnan Srikaew, the minister of public health, stated yesterday that a marijuana regulation is required to control marijuana use. The government may forbid recreational use of cannabis and strictly restrict its use for medical purposes.

Dr. Cholnan responded that the ministries will have a commission to examine the specifics of the hemp and hemp costs to determine whether it needs to be revised after the Bhumjaithai Party sponsored it and it passed its first studying in congress last June.

According to him, the government will deliver the investigation to the cupboard, who will decide whether to process or repeal the draft act, opening the door for a new one.

I insist there must be rules to regulate marijuana use, whether we stick with the current document or create a new one, said Dr. Cholnan. It must be prohibited to use marijuana for outdoor purposes. Customers may face risks if they use cannabis improperly, he said.

In June of last year, Thailand became the first nation in Southeast Asia to decriminalize hemp.

With the exception of anything containing more than 0.2 % of the psychoactive substance tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC ), the plant was taken off the list of narcotics by the government.

By making cannabis and cannabis cash crops and allowing their use in meals, fashion, and cosmetics, the goal was to advance their health benefits and assistance a cannabis economy.

Currently, laws prohibit smoking in public places and prohibit sales to expectant women and children under the age of 18. Cannabis businesses may also submit an application for licenses, and those who grow marijuana for commercial purposes must do the same.

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Cambodian PM Hun Manet meets China’s Xi in Beijing

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BEIJING: Hun Manet, the prime minister of Cambodia, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday( Sept 15 ) in an effort to strengthen the close ties his father, Nun Sen, had established with Beijing. For nearly 40 years, Hun Sen ruled Cambodia with an iron fist before transferring theContinue Reading

Srettha says he disagrees with recreational use of cannabis

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15 September 2023 at 10:34 PUBLISHED

Srettha says he disagrees with recreational use of cannabis
At the Asia International Hemp Expo, which took place in Bangkok in November of last year, marijuana species are on screen. Somchai Poomlard( picture )

Although marijuana use for medical purposes would continue to be a plan under his leadership, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin stated on Friday that he did not agree with allowing recreational use of the drug.

” Medical cannabis will be the plan.” I do not agree with that regarding recreational apply, Mr. Srettha, who is also the finance minister, told investigators.

Over the next few years, Thailand’s cannabis market is expected to be worth up to US$ 1.2 billion( 42. 9 billion baht ), with thousands of new companies emerging following the legalization of cannabis use and growth last year.

As healing lags in Southeast Asia’s second-largest business, Mr. Srettha unveiled a number of economic policies earlier this week aimed at increasing usage and spending.

The former business tycoon stated that” this is a targeted policy, domestic spending will increase enormously ,” alluding to his signature policy of giving away 10,000 baht($ 282.09 ) to all Thais via digital wallet.

Srettha Thavisin, the prime minister, addresses the media on Wednesday at Government House. Government House ( picture )

The Krungthai Bank Pao Tang smart implementation will be used by the government for its electronic wallet job, according to the prime minister on Thursday. The software will also be integrated with blockchain technology.

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Commentary: Malaysia at 60 – one country, three visions

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HOBART, Australia: The Federation of Malaysia, a nation renowned for its success in Southeast Asia, did commemorate its 60th anniversary on September 16.

While neighbors like Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines have suffered military overthrows and significant casualties as a result of civil unrest, Malaysia has only ever seen one event: the cultural riots on May 13, 1969.

The democratic system was then overhauled into a Ketuanan Melayu( Malay Supremacy ) structure after order had been restored. This resulted in a protracted period of stability under the Barisan Nasional ( BN ) coalition, particularly during Mahathir Mohamad’s rule from 1981 to 2003.

When Mahathir, who had just returned from retreat, led the opposition to reverse the BN in 2018, the system collapsed. Surprisingly, he served as prime minister again from 2018 to 2020 at the age of 93.

Anwar Ibrahim, a long-regarded” Muslim democrat” in the West, was asked by the Prince to shape the coalition government in November of last year following an ineffective election. The current two-coalition arrangements in Malaysia are made up of the opposition Perikatan Nasional ( Bersatu, Parti Islam Se – Malaysia and Gerakan) and Anwar’s unity government( Pakatan Harapan, BN, and Borneo parties ).

THE Flood OF GREEN

The rise of political Islam and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia( PAS) was the election’s biggest lesson from November 2022. With 49 chairs, PAS is currently the largest group in the Indonesian congress. The Democratic Action Party ( DAP ), a Chinese-based organization that represents non-Malays and has 40 seats, is the second-largest party in parliament.

While some politicians claimed that the” natural wave” was either unreal or a one-off occurrence, it may in fact be reflected in Malay politics. More and more Malays, particularly among the younger age group, are supporting claims that PAS’s perspective for the creation of a Malay-Islamic position is what will shape Malaysia in the future.

This was supported by the current state elections on August 12 that were held in six says on the Malay Peninsula. According to the findings, PAS not only kept the Malay seats that were won in November 2022, but also gained an additional 5 to 7 percent of the vote.

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Royal Thai Air Force tells of PM2.5 action

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PUBLISHED: 4:00 on September 15, 2023.

Royal Thai Air Force tells of PM2.5 action

To combat air pollution, particularly the issue of fine particulate matter 2.5, the Royal Thai Air Force ( RTAF) will collaborate with its Asean counterparts.

The monthly four-day Asean Air Chiefs Conference, which concludes now in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, was attended by ACM Alongkorn Wannarot, the commander-in-chief of the RTAF.

Air pressure commanders from the 10-nation alliance are gathered for the conference to talk about cooperation in defense, fighting extremism, and disaster relief. It has also concentrated on environmental assistance initiatives this time.

The PM2.5 problem, which is brought on by common harvest burning in Southeast Asia, was discussed at the meeting by ACM Alongkorn.

In order to put out fires, reduce PM2.5 waste, and increase water degrees in Thailand’s dam systems, he claimed that the RTAF and the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation had established the imperial allows operation system in 2015.

The RTAF is also creating related technologies, such as options for foam use and a mobile app for spare management.

ACM Alongkorn added that the RTAF has a center for teaching about solar energy that promotes and shows off biodiesel, wind, and solar power.

Additionally, the RTAF is collaborating with the Provincial Electricity Authority to build renewable roofs and floating solar panel in air bag all over the country.

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