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Charoen Pokphand Foods plans to use protein from soybean and grains in its shrimp feed instead of fishmeal, hoping that the innovation will lead to a more sustainable fishing industry.

Robins McIntosh, a senior executive, said a test showed that when fishmeal was left out of the feed, shrimps still grew at the normal rate. Now, the new proteins are mixed in made-to-order shrimp feed.

He said the substitution would reduce illegal fishing. CPF’s fishmeal suppliers were recently offered premiums of Bt3 per kilogram if they could prove that the raw material was collected through legal means. Only fishermen with licences and proper equipment are now selected to supply raw materials to its four aquaculture plants.

Pornsilp Patcharintanakul, president of the Thai Feed Mill Association, said tariffs could be raised against any products causing problems to the environment or endangering humans and animals. He noted that the private sector needed to work with government in reducing issues that could affect industries’ sustainability as well as reducing their operating costs.

He is confident that with CPF leading the way, other feed-mill operators will comply with the same standards within a couple of years.

 

US firm eyes Myanmar hotel industry

US companies are looking to invest in Myanmar’s hotel industry, with representatives from Brownstone Furniture meeting with that country’s Ministry of Hotels and Tourism last week.

Former US congressmen Jim Webb and Christopher Kingsley from Brownstone Furniture met with Hotels and Tourism Minister Htay Aung to discuss possible projects in Bagan, Yangon and Pyin Oo Lwin.

Nearly 1.06 million tourists visited Myanmar last year, an increase of about 30 per cent from 2011. US companies want to invest on their own or create joint ventures in the hotel industry, the ministry says.

Myanmar is expected to receive 1.5 million tourists this year. The ministry has granted licences for the construction of nearly 30,000 more rooms in 826 hotels. – Eleven Media Group 

 

SSI UK sets production records

SSI Teesside Plant recently set new steel-production records, according to Sahaviriya Steel Industries UK, a subsidiary of Thailand’s Sahaviriya Steel Industries.

The plant achieved its best daily output since the restart of operations when it produced 11,432 tonnes of steel slabs  last Tuesday, beating its previous record of 10,168 tonnes on May 7, it said in a statement.

“This record is an indication of the capability and the potential of the SSI UK operation, and I am sure that further significant improvements in production levels will be achieved as the ramp-up of the pulverised-coal-injection plant process continues. This is very much a team effort, and I congratulate all of the personnel involved, who can feel justly proud of their achievements,” said Phil Dryden, chief executive of SSI UK.

 

More mergers, buyouts in Vietnam

Mergers and acquisitions have been on the rise in Vietnam since 2008 in terms of both value and number of deals despite the downturn, according to a study last week by auditing and consulting firm KPMG.

In 2008, there were 92 deals worth US$1.1 billion. The figures rose to 308 deals and $5.8 billion (Bt180 billion) last year, and 2013 is also expected to be a good year for M&A activities. – Viet Nam News/ANN 

 

SME workshop set for Udon Thani

A workshop will be hosted in Udon Thani on  Thursday for small and medium-sized enterprises in 12 labour-intensive industries that need restructuring to cope with the higher minimum wage, which went up to Bt300 a day at the beginning of the year.

The Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion aims to host similar events in 51 provinces. After applying for a special loan facility, the SMEs will pay interest 3 percentage points below market rates for loans up to Bt1 million for a one-year period. This is aside from tax and non-tax measures. A recent survey by Dhurakit Bundit University found that 80,000 SMEs will shut this year because of the minimum wage rise.