August 22, 2018

Agritechnica Asia to showcase benefits of smart farming

AGRITECHNICA ASIA 2018 is being held in Bangkok, Thailand from August 22-24, and all stakeholders along the agriculture value chain, from government authorities to cooperatives to international companies, are unwavering in their support of the adoption of smart farming approaches.

About 300 companies from 29 countries as well as seven country pavilions from China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, and the Netherlands present their latest technology in 11,000 square metres. 138 speakers come from 20 countries and 52 organisations.

In his welcome speech at the opening ceremony of both co-located events, Mr. Peter Grothues, chairman of the supervisory board of DLG International GmbH (co-organiser of the events), highlighted that the first 'Agrifuture' forum would debut at AGRITECHNICA: "It will be the stage for experts from all over the world to share their best practices, techniques on drone technology and precision farming, and presentations on models about sharing agricultural machinery."

As host country of the events, the permanent secretary of the ministry of agriculture and cooperatives, Mr. Lertviroj Kowattana, shared the prospect of smart farming in Thai agriculture. In his opening speech, he "firmly believe(s) that our (Thailand's) decision to co-host AGRITECNICA ASIA and Horti ASIA 2018 will significantly boost the development of Thai agriculture. In order to achieve our goal to become the hub of agricultural production in Southeast Asia and reach global quality standards, this event is a great opportunity for farmers and growers in the region. Farmers can learn from international technology and service providers how to increase efficiency and yield."

Recognising the important role of farmers in smart farming adoption, in his keynote speech Mr. Somchai Charnnarongkul, director general of the department of agricultural extension of Thailand, stressed: "It is our goal that all farmers become smart farmers applying innovations and smart technology, especially with regard to farm labour shortages. Platforms for knowledge sharing and innovations like AGRITECHNICA ASIA AND Horti ASIA are important instruments to reach this goal."

The Department invited more than 1,000 Thai young smart farmers, leaders of agricultural learning centres, cooperatives and government officials from all 77 provinces to the events. Accordingly, Mr. Charnnarongkul shared that the president of the Young DLG would share the German experience on how young farmers work together.

The onsite registration counter for AGRITECHNICA ASIA and Horti ASIA are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.