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Yamato

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On Thursday I visited this restaurant in Tiong Bahru for the first time

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Love this, not available in Thailand
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Signature prawn dish, I found it to be so-so, nothing special
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Veggie, this is nice
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Another signature dish is this chicken, I do enjoy this dish very much
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Pepper crab (forgot to take photo of the dish), its not bad
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Finally Hokkien fried noodle, looks good but a bit on the sweet side and there's no lard (what a waste)
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https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Market-Spotlight/Thailand-export-earnings-threatened-by-rice-glut?utm_campaign=GL_asia_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=1&pub_date=20220725190000&seq_num=2&si=44594

 

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The price of Asia's main food has not been anything like the wild ride of other staples. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)

 

Thailand export earnings threatened by rice glut
Opinions diverge over outlook as fertilizer shortages loom
RURIKA IMAHASHI and APORNRATH PHOONPHONGPHIPHAT, Nikkei staff writersJuly 25, 2022 06:02 JST

 

TOKYO/BANGKOK -- The surge in wheat and corn prices driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine hit consumers around the world and made it harder for some to put bread on the table. But some Asian countries are grappling with a contrasting problem: a glut of rice that threatens to deal a blow to their export earnings.

 

Thailand heads the list of nations confronted with the unexpected specter of overabundance thanks to favorable weather in Asia's paddy heartlands. The region's countries are now in a fierce rice price war as they seek buyers for their swelling stocks, but there are sharp divisions of opinion over where prices go from here.

 

"A good crop in several countries allowed key exporters, particularly India and Pakistan, to compete by offering at low prices," Charoen Laothamatas, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, told Nikkei Asia.

 

The price of Asia's main food has not been anything like the wild ride of other staples. At $420 per tonne, the benchmark 5% common grade Thai rice is trading within a few percentage points of where it was at the start of 2021 and shortly after the invasion this year. Intense price competition means buyers can get prices much lower than that on other rice.

 

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Both wheat and corn prices soared more than 40% as grain exports from Ukraine's ports were blocked and India banned wheat exports to prioritize domestic amid hot weather that disrupted its own production. Talks to end the blockade and bumper crops elsewhere have brought prices down sharply in recent weeks but wheat is still up 15% from a year ago.

 

In contrast to its ban on wheat exports, India is trying to sell more rice overseas. The world's largest rice exporter sold an average of 22 million tonnes of rice over the past few years, almost half the world's rice trade.

 

The price competition is already fierce. According to traders, India can offer as low as $343 per tonne, well below $388 offered by Pakistan and $418 by Vietnam. Thailand offers prices in the $420s due to higher production costs.

 

"The Thai rice price was more than $80 per tonne higher than India and other competitors. That made it difficult for Thai exporters to compete with others," Charoen said, adding that world rice prices are expected to remain under pressure. Thailand is due to harvest its major crop in October, when around 24 million tonnes of paddy will be reaped.

 

"It would be another year of disaster as we don't know how deep rice prices will plunge," one exporter said. "That would force the Thai government to issue price intervention schemes to support farmers." For the government, which faces a general election next year, it is crucial to keep more than four million rice-farming families happy. The consequence is that exporters are unlikely to sell at lower world prices when prices are being propped up at home, reducing their share of the global market.

 

The quantity of rice in storage around this time of year has been historically high for several years, at more than one-third of annual demand. The decline in wheat and corn prices in recent weeks has cooled talk that rice may gain favor as an alternative, something that could have decreased elevated inventories.

 

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Not everyone agrees rice prices will stay low, however, and several point to fertilizer shortages as a reason to expect an increase over time.

 

Russia is the world's biggest exporter of nitrogen, the second-largest of potassium, and third of phosphorous -- key ingredients of fertilizer, which is now harder and more expensive to obtain as a result of international sanctions.

 

Akio Shibata, president of the Natural Resource Research Institute in Japan, warned that Asia could not remain optimistic about its staple supply. "If fertilizer prices continue to rise and its supply disrupted, rice prices will likely follow that of wheat and corn," Shibata told Nikkei Asia.

 

Thailand, again, could be particularly vulnerable. Thai farmers typically rely on expensive chemical pesticides and fertilizers. It imports around four million tonnes of fertilizers annually.

 

That is different from rivals such as Vietnam and India. Vietnam has spent many years developing new rice strains and rice-growing techniques that help cut production costs, while India and Pakistan grow rice in vast areas with economies of scale and cheap labor costs.

 

As a result, the productivity of Thai rice remained low, with yield per rai (0.16 hectare) standing at 454 kilograms, well below Vietnam's 803 kilograms per rai. Disruption in fertilizer supply could further lower the productivity of Thai rice growers.

 

The government in June approved a plan to allow Thai and foreign investors to develop the country's first potash mine to enable the domestic production of fertilizer. However, it will take years before a mine is actually up and running.

 

David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Programme, said fertilizer shortages could depress rice yields across the region and lead to a repeat of the 2007-2008 price spike that followed a drought in India and sent prices to $1,000 a tonne.

 

"Asia is going to be pounded with this fertilizer crisis, which is going to devastate rice harvest over the next 12 months," he said. "And when you look at how much progress has been made on reducing hunger in the world, primarily in Asia ... this could truly set back global food security."
 

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Final photos of my Singapore trip last week some "tourist" photos 😂😂😂

 

CHIJMES
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Cathedral of the Good Shepherd
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Capitol Kempinski
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St Andrews Cathedral
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City Hall and Padang
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City Centre
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Old High Court
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Raffles City
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Old Parliament House
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Victoria Theatre
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Sir Stanford Raffles in front of the Victoria Memorial Hall

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City Center
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Elizabeth Walk
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By the Singapore River
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Merlion and Marina Bay Sands
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Tourists are back
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Esplanade
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Merlion against the City Center
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Marina Bay Sands
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City Center
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Padang
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https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Energy/Thai-plant-engineer-makes-high-energy-biofuel-on-par-with-coal?utm_campaign=GL_asia_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=1&pub_date=20220727124000&seq_num=14&si=44594

 

Thai plant engineer makes high-energy biofuel on par with coal
TTCL aims for $600 million in sales in 2030

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Agricultural waste like corncobs and husks is turned into a high-energy biofuel at a TTCL plant.
YOHEI MURAMATSU, Nikkei staff writerJuly 27, 2022 05:13 JST

 

BANGKOK -- Thai engineering company TTCL has opened a plant to produce biomass fuel from agricultural waste like corncobs and husks as a greener alternative to coal in a country that still relies heavily on fossil fuels.

 

The facility in northern Thailand's Lampang Province uses a process known as torrefaction to produce a fuel with greater energy density than standard wood pellets. It is about on par with Indonesian coal, and also comparable in price under current market conditions, the company said.

 

These so-called black pellets can be burned alongside coal at power plants or factories using existing equipment with little modification. Biofuel is considered carbon neutral, as the plant matter it is made from absorbs carbon dioxide as it grows.

 

The facility, the cost of which is estimated in the millions of dollars, can make 7,500 tonnes of biofuel a year at present. Production is slated to go up to 75,000 tonnes annually next year. TTCL plans eventually to increase overall output to 2 million tonnes, including production outside Thailand.

 

TTCL will sell the pellets to local companies as well as Japanese businesses operating here, targeting $600 million in sales by 2030.

 

The biomass facility is part of a diversification effort by Bangkok-listed TTCL, which mainly builds petrochemical factories and power plants.

 

Edited by Yamato
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https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Food-Beverage/Curry-company-tries-its-hand-at-growing-Thai-veggies-in-Japan?utm_campaign=GL_asia_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=1&pub_date=20220801190000&seq_num=23&si=44594

 

Curry company tries its hand at growing Thai veggies in Japan
Yamamori determined to supply restaurants with fresh lemon grass and holy basil

 

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Green, golf ball-size Thai eggplant is essential to authentic curries but difficult to grow in Japan. Nevertheless, retort pouch curry maker Yamamori intends to do just that. (Photo by Tensei Tani)
TENSEI TANI, Nikkei staff writerJuly 30, 2022 18:11 JST

 

NAGOYA -- Kenichi Hotta, a 35-year-old farmer in the city of Yokkaichi, in Japan's Mie Prefecture, has been growing eggplant for years now, but a new variety is giving him fits.

 

He has been contracted by a food maker to grow ma-khua, or Thai eggplant, but has found it to be more vulnerable to disease and soil bacteria than its Japanese cousins. "More than 10 plants have died so far," he said. "Japanese eggplant is much easier to grow."

 

The company that hired Hotta is Yamamori, a maker of retort pouch Thai curry, which aspires to become a restaurant supplier specializing in Japan-grown Thai produce.

 

When cooked, Thai eggplant -- green, golf ball-size fruit -- have more texture than the purple, oblong varieties that grow in Japan.

 

Because of this texture, as well as their flavor, they are indispensable to authentic Thai curry.

 

Yamamori started out as a maker of soy sauce and other seasonings. With sales of about 26 billion yen ($190 million) for fiscal 2021, the midsize company is Japan's biggest maker of retort pouch Thai curry using coconut milk and herbs.

 

It is well-known in Southeast Asia, having production bases in Thailand and products that are sold throughout the region.

 

Now it is trying to introduce Thai eggplant to Japanese soil.

 

Last year, it tested planting procedures with the Miekita Agricultural Cooperatives (JA Miekita). While there are few insects that eat local eggplant varieties, trial plantings of the Thai fruit were feasted upon.

 

Besides being an indispensable ingredient for certain dishes and difficult to grow, ma-khua is usually not allowed into Japan, a measure meant to keep foreign insects out of the country.

 

Yamamori looked into the availability of Thai eggplant in Japan and found that a kilogram trades for about 1,500 yen (around $11), more than double the 600 yen that domestic varieties fetch.

 

While some fruit and vegetables can be imported from Thailand, they go bad quickly due to the long journey. Yamamori believes there is demand in Japan for Thai produce if it can be stably grown and harvested in the country.

 

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Yamamori is the largest producer of boil-in-the-bag Thai food in Japan. (Photo courtesy of Yamamori)

 

This year, Yamamori contracted with four farmers to grow not only Thai eggplant but also holy basil and lemon grass, ingredients necessary for tom yum, a spicy and sour soup with shrimp. A combined 2,000 sq. meters of farmland will be devoted to growing the immigrants.

 

Yamamori plans to harvest and buy 4 tonnes of Thai eggplant, 1 tonne of holy basil -- gapao in Thai -- and 400 kg of lemon grass with the intention of wholesaling the ingredients to Thai restaurants and specialty retailers.

 

Kaori Miyamura, the leader of the project team, is a soy sauce researcher. She is also an expert on fermentation technology and health food materials, but a straw hat has recently become her trademark accessory. She has been busy working with the contracted farmers to check on the quality and yield of their eggplant and basil.

 

"My dream is that Thai vegetables become available at supermarkets across Japan," Miyamura said. The intention is to grow and ship ma-khua year-round.

 

If the project succeeds, it will enable Yamamori to make its curry with Thai vegetables -- eggplant is widely considered a vegetable -- harvested in Japan. The company has also started considering new products.

 

According to Tokyo-based research company Fuji Keizai, the market for Thai, Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian restaurants in Japan was worth 72.7 billion yen in 2019, up from 66.8 billion yen in 2014. Although many restaurants were slammed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the market in 2024 is expected to almost return to where it was in 2019.

 

Thai food has also become popular in the prepared meal and freezer sections of Japanese supermarkets and convenience stores as well as at family-style restaurants.

 

Yamamori faces numerous challenges if it intends to sell to these outlets year-round. A big one is Japan's climate; winter is too cold for tropical vegetables. Hotta tries to arrange his eggplant crop so he can harvest twice a week, but when the temperature dips, the fruit will need more time to grow.

 

"Thai vegetables easily go bad if the temperature is not high enough," said JA Miekita official who was involved with the trial cultivation. If crops are moved to greenhouses, fuel and electricity costs could rise.

 

Yamamori is used to giving advice to restaurants and food makers thinking of entering Thailand. But now its role is reversed as it endeavors to learn how to bring out the sourness, spiciness and umami of Thai food with authentic ingredients grown in Japanese soil.

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Came back to Bangkok from Singapore but went to Singapore restaurant for lunch 😂😂😂

 

Jumbo seafood restaurant in Siam Paragon Mall
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Sambal kangkong (water spinach with chili sauce)
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Mee goreng (fried noodle)
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Soya sauce steamed bamboo clams from Scotland
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Black pepper crab
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Besides tomyam, somtam, padthai, krapow, another dish that is very popular in Thailand is its grilled chicken known as "Gai Yang". Gai = chicken ; Yang = grilled (BBQ).

 

So Kai Yang or Gai Yang in Thai is ไก่ย่าง originates from the Isaan/Lao cuisine (Isaan is north east Thailand where people identify themselves as "lao" and speak almost identical language as Lao). The most popular gai-yang comes from Khao Suan Kwang a district of Khon Kaen province in Isaan. Khao Suan Kwang borders Udonthani province. So if one drives to Udon from Bangkok you will surely pass by Khao Suan Kwang and see hundreds of gai-yang stalls calling themselves the original Khao Suan Kwan Gai Yang. Even out side this area for example in Bangkok stalls will also call themselves Khao Suan Kwang Gai Yang just like this stall in the market near my home. 

 

I took this video over the weekend when I bought a chicken. 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoy this video.

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Using minced or chopped pork for Chinese cooking is very common. Marinating the meat is also very simple usually soya sauce and pepper with some flour or corn flour for the extra smoothness. This is basic.

 

To bring the taste of minced pork up another level with that extra umami I always add fish-powder that I prepare myself with dry sole-fish.

 

After lightly washing the dry sole-fish, dry it in an oven or air fryer till its crispy and they pound it or grind it into powder

 

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Cooked boiled rice adding the marinated pork and tofu and egg

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Cooked the Taiwanese style braised pork belly also known as "kong-bak" in the local dialact.

 

Marinate the thick pork belly
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Pan fry the pork belly
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Start assembling - big spring onion at the bottom
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Pork on top of spring onion
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Add eggs and fried tofu
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Pout sauce over (sauce seperately prepared with onion, soya sauce, rice wine, herbs)
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Start to stew
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Final result after 2 hours

 

Edited by Yamato
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https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Travel-Leisure/Jakarta-Bangkok-see-luxury-hotel-boom-as-tourism-rebounds?utm_campaign=GL_asia_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=1&pub_date=20220809123000&seq_num=5&si=44594

 

Jakarta, Bangkok see luxury hotel boom as tourism rebounds
Southeast Asian megacities host conferences to draw business travelers

 

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Park Hyatt Jakarta opened in central Jakarta near the Indonesian president's official residence on July 8. (Photo by Koya Jibiki)

 

KOYA JIBIKI, BOBBY NUGROHO and KOSUKE INOUE, Nikkei staff writersAugust 9, 2022 03:34 JST

JAKARTA/BANGKOK -- More than 50 luxury hotels are set to open in Jakarta and Bangkok within the next five years, highlighting expectations of a strong economic recovery in two of Southeast Asia's largest cities as COVID-19 travel restrictions are eased.

 

Hyatt Hotels of the U.S. debuted a property under its flagship luxury brand in central Jakarta near the Indonesian president's official residence on July 8. Park Hyatt Jakarta opened on the grounds of the headquarters of MNC Group through a partnership with the local media giant.

 

The hotel occupies the top 17 floors of the 37-story building. Key cabinet ministers' attendance at the opening ceremony underscored how the government pushed for the hotel's launch, including a relaxing of building height rules. Billed as the nation's first six-star hotel, it features a high-end Japanese restaurant on the top two floors.

 

MNC invested roughly 3 trillion rupiah ($202 million) and expects to recoup the amount in around seven or eight years.

 

A study by Nikkei found that 13 four-star and higher-ranked hotels are scheduled to open in Jakarta from 2021 to 2026. Japan's Hotel Okura plans to debut a five-star hotel in the city's central business district in 2025, while Hong Kong-based Langham Hotels & Resorts has opened its first Indonesian property.

 

Bangkok is anticipating a more rapid pace of high-end hotel openings. According to Germany's Tophotelnews, 28 four-star and 13 five-star hotels will launch in the Thai capital from 2021 to 2024.

 

U.S. hotel company Marriott International will open a Bangkok property under its flagship Ritz-Carlton brand in 2023. To be located inside the soon-to-open One Bangkok commercial complex, the hotel is one of the most anticipated openings in the city.

 

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New York-based Standard Hotels recently launched its second Thai property in Bangkok. (Photo by Kosuke Inoue)

 

Standard Hotels of the U.S. launched its second Thai property in Bangkok this July, following its debut in the southern resort destination of Hua Hin in late 2021.

 

Jakarta and Bangkok have drawn luxury hotels as expectations rise for an economic recovery. Both Indonesia and Thailand swung from negative to positive real gross domestic product growth in 2021 and are projected to log growth of 4% or more in 2023 and after.

 

Hotel operators are focusing on demand for business travel. Business guests staying at their companies' expense are able to pay more than tourists, and they seek higher-ranked hotels for the peace of mind that they offer, an MNC official said.

 

The hospitality industry sees both Jakarta and Bangkok as promising for "MICE": meetings, incentive travel, conferences and exhibitions. International conferences and exhibitions have a large economic effect, since tourists spend money before and after the events.

 

Indonesia and Thailand are both members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, which hold meetings year-round. Indonesia is Southeast Asia's sole member of the Group of 20 nations and serves as the group's chair this year. Meanwhile, Thailand has its own visitor magnet -- the region's biggest auto show, held annually in Bangkok.

 

Jakarta and Bangkok also compete in luring companies to set up locations by offering tax breaks and other incentives. The two cities are roughly even economically -- Jakarta had a population of about 10 million and real GDP of $120 billion in 2021, while Bangkok had a population of roughly 9 million and real GDP of $100 billion in 2020 -- so how they can differentiate themselves will be the key.

 

Indonesian President Joko Widodo is aggressively courting businesses related to artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. Laws were revised in November 2020 to pave the way for an easing of labor regulations, stimulating investment by foreign companies. The government plans to relocate the capital, but Jakarta is still positioned as the economic center.

 

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's government has introduced a flurry of measures aimed at attracting companies in such fields as digital, biotechnology and medicine.

 

Bangkok has an edge in attractiveness as a city. Bangkok was 35th place, against Jakarta's 45th, in a comprehensive ranking of 48 key cities by the Mori Memorial Foundation's Institute for Urban Strategies. Jakarta scored the lowest in the culture category, so it faces a need for improvement in that area.

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It was a good experience visiting this restaurant in Nikko Hotel Thong Lor.

 

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Private room for 4
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We are here for the Japanese beef.
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The wine for the beef
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Salad
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Kimchi
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Korean rice
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Side dishes
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Here comes the main
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The meats
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Beef tongue
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Grill
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https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Agriculture/Thailand-abuzz-over-bug-based-feed-as-alternative-to-grain?utm_campaign=GL_asia_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_source=NA_newsletter&utm_content=article_link&del_type=1&pub_date=20220811190000&seq_num=17&si=44594

 

Thailand abuzz over bug-based feed as alternative to grain
Business booms as livestock farms seek to address sustainability concerns

 

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A man feeds his animals at a cattle market in Pakistan. Europe is leading in the insect protein market, but more and more companies in Southeast Asia are developing foods containing insects.   © Reuters
KOSUKE INOUE, Nikkei staff writerAugust 11, 2022 16:21 JST

 

BANGKOK -- Startups in Thailand are focusing on insects to make animal feed, seeking to help alleviate increasing pressure on livestock farmers to move toward sustainability.

 

"Insect-derived feed can be a solution to circular economy," said Peter Hamilton, CEO of Biovert Protein, a Thai startup developing technology to pulverize black soldier fly larvae to process into fish feed.

 

Biovert plans to build a factory in the Eastern Economic Corridor, a special economic zone in Thailand, by 2024 to launch full-scale production.

 

Concerns about sustainability in industrial agriculture are rising. In Europe, livestock, which consumes massive volumes of grains, is considered an environmental concern, and avoidance of meat is gaining steam. This presents a problem that needs attention for many companies in Thailand, a leading food exporter.

 

Black soldier fly eggs hatch in four days and become pupae in 14 days. The insects contain abundant protein as well as calcium and amino acids, essential nutrients. They can be mass-produced in a short period of time and are perfect alternative to grain-based feed, the company says.

 

Biovert's other goal is to reduce food waste. Black soldier fly larvae require a massive amount of food for growth, so the company buys spent grain from a local beer brewery.

 

Europe is leading in the insect protein market, but Southeast Asia offers lower barriers to new entrants. Thailand, in particular, is promoting the development of environmentally friendly technologies, spurring new businesses in the field.

 

These include FlyLab, another startup working on black soldier flies in northern Chiang Mai. Thai Union Group, the company behind the Chicken of the Sea canned tuna brand, also announced in 2021 an investment in Orgafeed, which develops pet food with black soldier fly larvae.

 

Reducing production costs is a major challenge. These startups are pouring money into finding out the optimal environment for enhancing the nutritional value of insects, and they must pass these costs on to customers to turn a profit. This means they not only have to get livestock farmers to invest in sustainability but also bring down prices as low as possible to conventional grain-based feed.
 

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