Salt insights

One of the new products unveiled this time is Enlist Colex-D herbicide, which uses a new 2,4-D salt compound and an innovative formula, and has a significant weed control effect. Corteva pointed out that when used with air-sensing spray, the drift potential of Enlist Colex-D can be reduced by up to 90%, effectively reducing the impact of pesticide drift on surrounding crops. In addition, the herbicide provides farmers with great application flexibility, from pre-sowing stubble to the post-emergence stage of Enlist soybean varieties, which can achieve efficient weed control, reduce weed competition, and maximize crop yield potential. In Industrial Seed Treatment, In the field of IST, Corteva showcased its new fungicide product LumiTreo, which contains the active ingredients fluthiazide, pyraclostrobin and picoxystrobin, and is used to control the early disease complex that affects soybean crops, including rot, damping-off and wilt. As an innovative product in the IST series, LumiTreo can help soybean varieties fully realize their growth potential throughout the growth period and has been officially registered for five soybean diseases. Starting from the soybean seed stage, LumiTreo can effectively control the following diseases: root rot and damping-off caused by Pythium (such as Rhizoctonia solani), red rot (Fusarium pallidoroseum), seed-borne anthracnose (Colletotrichum truncatum), dry rot and typical seed-borne fungal diseases (Phomopsis sojae), as well as root rot and oomycete fungal diseases caused by Phytophthora (Phytophthora solani). sojae). In addition, Corteva also displayed the bionematicide Lumialza. This innovative product for soybeans and corn contains Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (strain PTA-4838), which is a natural biological control agent. It can colonize the roots of crops to form a biological barrier, effectively controlling root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita), cyst nematodes (Heterodera glycines) and dry tip nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.). In addition to being an effective tool for nematode management, Lumialza can also promote rapid germination of crops and help restore soil health. Recently, the product has also obtained registration approval for the Javan root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne javanica) in soybeans and the corn root rot nematode (Pratylenchus zeae) in corn.

At a press conference on January 31, Cambodia Salt Association Chairman Wen Naren said that salt production had begun in October 2024, and 30% of the output has been harvested and sold to the domestic market. He pointed out that if weather conditions are good, the salt production in 2025 will reach the above target. Wen Naren also mentioned that due to the sharp decline in salt production exported to the international market in 2024, the inventory surplus was about 40% to 50%, which made the Cambodian salt industry face a market crisis. For example, at the end of last year, the price of salt fell sharply, and the selling price of 50 kilograms of salt dropped to 5,500 Cambodian riels, which almost made salt makers lose money. Because the current salt-making method in Cambodia is still traditional and purely natural. He stressed that the price of salt has remained low so far, causing some salt farmers to suspend production due to losses. In addition, the salt export market has been very cold since last year, and no orders have been received so far. The reason for this may be related to international situations such as the Middle East conflict and the Russian-Ukrainian war, which have seriously affected the export market of Cambodian salt. It is understood that Cambodia's salt production will reach 130,000 tons in 2024, an increase of about 50,000 tons compared with 80,000 tons in 2023. This increase reflects the potential and challenges of Cambodia's salt industry in the domestic market.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto aims for self-sufficiency in rice, corn, and salt by 2026, emphasizing the importance of food independence amid the global crisis. "We must achieve food self-sufficiency. We can reach that target by the end of 2025, or at the latest 2026, three years earlier than the initial plan," Prabowo said in a meeting with