Latest news with #NeilJeromeMorales
Mint
21-07-2025
- Climate
- Mint
Vietnam Braces for Storm Wipha After Typhoon Lashes Hong Kong
(Bloomberg) -- Northern Vietnam is bracing for Tropical Cyclone Wipha, which may intensify to typhoon-strength before making landfall on Tuesday after tracking over the nation's iconic Ha Long Bay. Wipha is currently near the port city of Beihai in China's Guangxi province, and the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecasts the storm will gradually strengthen as it moves across the Gulf of Tonkin. The outer bands of the system are already bringing heavy rainfall to Vietnam's capital of Hanoi. Gale-force winds lashed Hong Kong on Sunday as Wipha tracked to the south of the city at typhoon-strength, downing trees and leading to flight cancellations. The storm skirted the mainland Chinese coast before crossing near Yangjiang and moving inland on a westerly track toward Vietnam. Wipha has traversed relatively flat terrain, keeping the system together 'rather nicely' as it heads into the Gulf of Tonkin, according to the JTWC. Warm waters will fuel its development, and Wipha will 'intensify at least to high-end tropical storm strength and potentially back to typhoon-strength prior to landfall in Vietnam,' the JTWC said. Heavy downpours are forecast for Monday through Wednesday across northeast Vietnam, the Red River Delta, and parts of the North Central coast, with as much as 600 millimeters (24 inches) in some areas, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. Vietnam's weather agency warned of a high flooding risk in coastal areas on Tuesday afternoon, particularly in Hung Yen-Quang Ninh near the port city of Haiphong, with storm surges of nearly five meters in some locations. Conditions are also dangerous at sea for all types of vessels as the approaching storm triggers strong winds and high waves, the bureau added. Wipha developed as an area of low pressure in waters east of the Philippines last week, bringing heavy rain to the country's north. The storm, known locally as Crising, has caused $3.8 million in damage to infrastructure and killed at least five people, the national disaster agency said on Monday. --With assistance from Neil Jerome Morales. More stories like this are available on
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
02-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Philippines eyes India, Thailand rice to reduce reliance on Vietnam
The agriculture department is in talks with private importers on purchases from producers like India, Pakistan, Cambodia and Myanmar Bloomberg By Neil Jerome Morales and Cliff Venzon The agriculture department is in talks with private importers on purchases from producers like India, Pakistan, Cambodia and Myanmar, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel said in an interview on Friday. There may also be a 'deal' with Indonesia and Thailand, he added. 'We are trying to diversify sources to keep a level playing field,' Laurel said. Vietnam is 'the most reliable' supplier, but the fact that its shipments account for 90 per cent of the Philippines' rice imports could be a 'problem' in case of supply shocks, he said. The price of all rice varieties sold by Vietnam rose to a three-month high in April because of an 'uptick in buying interest from domestic and offshore traders,' according to data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Affordable prices of the staple grain are central to the agenda of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who also helmed the agriculture department before appointing Laurel in November 2023. His government slashed import tariffs from 35 per cent to 15 per cent last year and declared a food security emergency in February to tame runaway prices. That's helped slow overall inflation to its lowest level since 2019, giving the central bank room to further cut interest rates. Laurel expects this year's rice imports will be lower than in 2024 and won't exceed 4.5 million tonnes. His outlook compares with a forecast from the US Department of Agriculture that sees the Southeast Asian nation importing 5.4 million tonnes in 2025. Domestically, the country is on track to produce a record of 20.46 million tonnes in rough rice output this year, the secretary said. Meanwhile, the Philippines is facing a 17 per cent duty on its goods to the US, the lowest rate in Southeast Asia — after Singapore — under President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff agenda. Laurel said this presents an opportunity as it could make Filipino shipments to the US, particularly seafood products like tilapia and shrimp, more competitive than those of its neighbours.
