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Smallholders farm roughly 40 percent of Indonesian land planted with oil palm trees, but account for only 30 percent of its palm oil output due to lower yields because of low quality seeds and outdated farming techniques. Industry leaders plan to address that inefficiency next year through more investment in and collaboration with smallholders. Smallholder

Summarized by Ms. Natacia Ann Esguerra Administrative Assistant, CFA-UA&P Vietnamese conglomerate Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) is on its second export of 100 tons of dragon fruit to China from its Ratanakkiri plantation in Cambodia. HAGL also exports bananas to China. It invested in planting 14 types of fruits for export to diversify its Cambodian

The banana sector is very satisfied with the signing of the multi-party agreement between Ecuador and the European Union. Eduardo Ledesma, the president of the Association of Exporters of Bananas of Ecuador (AEBE), said that the signing of this agreement generated many expectations for the banana sector. In this sense, they announced that a public-private

“The Ministry of Agriculture will provide seeds and fertilisers among 2001 farmers in 64 districts to cultivate Bt brinjal (eggplant) on 2001 bighas (667 acres) of land next season. As an incentive, each farmer will receive 20 grams of seed and 15 kilograms of DAP and MoP fertilisers, at a total cost to the government

Scientists from Cornell University and colleagues from other institutions have identified genes that control Vitamin E content in the maize grain. The researchers used different types of genetic association analyses to identify 14 genes across the maize genome involved in the synthesis of vitamin E. Six genes were newly discovered to encode proteins that contribute

Australian Prime Minister Turnbull and Indonesian President Widodo reached agreement to each reduce tariffs on a key commodity as a mark of progress towards the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) currently under negotiation.  Indonesia will reduce tariffs on the import of Australian raw sugar and Australia will eliminate import duties on Indonesian herbicides and

Indonesian cocoa production is likely to fall over 10 percent in the year to Sept 2018 following a deep slide in prices, a leading trader told Reuters. Asia’s biggest cocoa producer, will  produce some 240,000 tons in 2017/18, down from 270,000 tons a year ago, Paul Davis, deputy head of cocoa at French commodity trader Sucden

Demand for the green smoothie mainstay has surged in Japan the past few years. In 2016, Japan imported 74,000 tons ($211m) of the fruit, up 2.5 times from a decade earlier. Mexico is the major supplier with 93 percent share followed by US, Newe Zealand, Peru and Chile. Demand has risen in other countries, too.