Changes in Food Consumption Patterns – Trends, drivers, and opportunities
Reading Time: 5 minutesBY DATUK PROF M NASIR SHAMSUDIN TRENDS in Malaysian food consumption are typical of those of developing economies, where structural changes in dietary habits can be categorised into the following stages: an initial increase in the consumption of traditional staple foods (such as rice); followed by an increase in the consumption of non-traditional staple foods […]
Way forward with new methods of food production
Reading Time: 4 minutesBY JOTISRI VASUDEVAN The world population is projected to reach 9.8 billion in 2050 according to the United Nations. As the global population continues to grow, the demand for food resources, particularly proteins, is reaching unprecedented levels. Traditional methods such as dairy farming and livestock rearing pose significant challenges in terms of resource consumption, environmental […]
Hybrid Chillies successfully grown in Pakistan
Reading Time: 2 minutesUNDER the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, Pakistani and Chinese agriculture scientists have successfully cultivated hybrid chillies over 750 acres of land across the South Asian country this season. Guard Agricultural Research & Services (Pvt) Limited and LTEC from China have joined hands to promote land development across 30,000 acres in 2023-2024. Out of this, 5000-6000 […]
Local scientist seeds innovation in GM research
Reading Time: 2 minutesAS the world’s population continues to grow and arable land becomes increasingly scarce, there is a pressing need to enhance the efficiency of food production. At the same time, climate change is wreaking havoc on our planet’s ecosystems, making it increasingly difficult to grow crops in many regions. But Selangor-born scientist, Dr Najiah Mohd Sadali is […]
Smart sex-sorting technology answer to wanton chick culling
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY VIRMAN JURI ANNUALLY, seven billion male chicks are being culled worldwide. Male layer chickens do not have commercial or economical value for hatcheries in contrast to female layer chickens that lay eggs. This fact raises a glaring concern in the poultry industry in matters pertaining to animal welfare. Furthermore in Malaysia, food security issues have […]
Cultivated meat for M’sian consumers in 2025
Reading Time: 3 minutes A local firm joins global race to produce cultivated meat in Penang in a RM20 million facility A LOCAL COMPANY has set its target to produce cultivated meat in Malaysia by 2025. Efforts are on the way to build a RM20 million facility in Penang by Cell AgriTech Sdn Bhd, a Bio-Based Accelerator (BBA) company next […]
Indonesian firm offers framework to speed up sustainable agriculture
Reading Time: 3 minutesJAKARTA: Pandawa Agri Indonesia (PAI), the first Indonesian life science-based company with innovation in pesticide reductants, today announced its three sustainability frameworks to accelerate sustainable agriculture in Indonesia. The frameworks are called 3 PROs: 1) protecting the environment, 2) prospering the people, and 3) promoting responsible business practices. These frameworks were unveiled in the company’s first […]
More than 100 tons of Golden Rice harvested in the Philippines
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTHE Department of Agriculture Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) has announced that more than 100 tons of fresh paddy of beta carotene-enriched Malusog Rice (Golden Rice) have been harvested in 17 pioneer production sites across the country. This first harvest will be milled for distribution in target households in selected provinces in the country with preschool children at-risk […]
GM Purple Tomato Gets Approval in the United States
Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a Regulatory Status Review (RSR) on September 7, 2022, stating that the new genetically modified (GM) purple tomato from Norfolk Plant Sciences may be safely grown and used in breeding in the United States. The purple tomato was modified to alter its color and […]
Saffron made affordable through GM technology
Reading Time: 2 minutesSAFFRON is the most expensive spice in the world. It is mainly cultivated in countries such as Iran, Spain, Italy, Greece, Morocco, India and Turkey. Historically, saffron is dubbed as ‘red gold’ and is believed to have been discovered during Bronze age Greece. If you make a quick search on e-commerce platforms, you would find […]