Category: Agriculture

BANGKOK, January 29, 2009 (AFP) – Thailand’s cabinet Thursday approved a plan to stockpile 200,000 tonnes of rubber from next month in a bid to stabilise prices which have almost halved in a year.Thailand’s rubber industry, based mostly in the southern and eastern provinces, has suffered in recent months from falling oil prices, which have […]

Jan 28, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan tea prices at the Colombo auctions this week maintained their upward trend with demand strong despite the weakening of the currencies of key buyer countries like Russia, brokers said. Supply was tight because of dry weather in key origins while demand remained strong because of winter in the […]

Jan 23, 2009 (LBO) – Prices of tea, Sri Lanka’s main export commodity, rose again at this week’s Colombo auction on strong demand from traditional markets like Russia and the Middle East. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 Brokers said there was good demand for […]

Jan 14, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan tea prices rose again at this week’s Colombo auction on strong demand with brokers saying the trend augurs well for producers who saw the market crash towards the end of last year. “The market continued strong for Low Grown varieties,” Asia Siyaka Commodities said in a report on […]

Jan 09, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan tea prices revived at the first auction of the year this week with the industry saying a shortfall in the crop and the forthcoming ‘quality season’ should ensure better earnings in the first quarter.Anil Perera, head of the Private Tea Factory Owners Association, said the shortfall in crop […]

Jan 08, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lankan coconut growers are giving up cultivation and selling estates for housing as prices of nuts have fallen too low to be remunerative, a left-wing parliamentarian representing cultivators said.“Coconut cultivators want a stable price that will cover their production costs,” said Namal Karunaratne, convenor of the Joint Organization of […]

Jan 08, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tea production and exports fell sharply in November 2008 but export earnings in the 11 months were ahead of the year before and a record annual crop is expected, brokers said.Tea production in November 2008 at 24.6 million kilos was the lowest since 1999 as producers cut output […]

Jan 07, 2009 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tea production up to November last year was almost 300 million kilos, well ahead of the year before, according to statistics released by the Sri Lanka Tea Board. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 The increase came mainly […]

Jan 05, 2009 (LBO) – Heavy rains in Sri Lanka last year should ensure an adequate coconut crop for 2009 that would be enough to meet the demands of both domestic consumers as well as export industry, a senior official said.“In the market at present more than 50-75 million nuts remain unsold.There are excess nuts.” […]

Dec 30, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tea market is expected to recover somewhat early next year with a long break in the Colombo auctions and production shortfalls in other origins keeping demand buoyant, officials said. The slowdown in tea exports from African origins is also expected to keep demand buoyant. Tea output in Kenya, […]

Dec 18, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lankan exporters of desiccated coconut said a recent government hike in edible oil import duty could put them out of business as prices of raw nuts will remain high, making their exports uncompetitive. To receive instant alerts from LBO on your Dialog mobile type ‘lbo’ and send to 678 […]

Dec 18, 2008 (LBO) – The Sri Lankan government says it wants a large stock of imported rice to boost stocks, days after the country’s statistics office announced a bumper harvest for the most recent growing season. At that time the ministry of consumer affairs allowed the import of 8,000 tons of rice from Burma […]