August 24, 2018

Changing the future of agriculture     

For next three days, from August 22 - 24, 2018, the agriculture industry will be gathering in Bangkok, Thailand, to accelerate the growth of agriculture in Southeast Asia.

Standing for innovation, people and technology, both trade fairs and international conferences showcase the future of crop production in open field and closed cultivation. Global challenges addressed by the United Nations (UN) shift the industry towards the direction of new solutions while respecting the environmental footprint and food safety.

Horti ASIA consists smart horticulture technology for all types of growers, while AGRITECHNICA ASIA is dedicated to mechanizing new generation farms, simultaneously tackling the issues of urbanisation, productivity and sustainability.

An estimated 300 leading companies from 29 countries as well as seven country pavilions from China, Finland, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the Netherlands present their latest technology within a 11,000 square metres location.

About 10,000 international innovators and visionaries are invited to contribute and apply innovations in their farm community or country, enabling others to perform better.

Mr. Ton Otten, managing director of VNU Exhibitions Asia Pacific Co. Ltd., said, "Both trade shows are dedicated to contribute to building a sustainable future in agriculture. With the upcoming challenges, the industry must act unified and perform on future standards. Southeast Asia is set to be the food basket of the world."

As official co-host of AGRITECHNICA ASIA and Horti ASIA, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, opened the leading agricultural and horticultural trade fairs. "With the support of many government agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, we firmly believe that our decision to co-host AGRITECHNICA 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 demands, this event is a great opportunity for farmers and growers in the region to learn from international technology and service providers how to increase efficiency and yield."

The Director General of the Department of Agricultural Extension, SomchaiCharnnarongkul, emphasised the importance of AGRITECHNICA ASIA and Horti ASIA as a platform for knowledge sharing and smart technology.

He said, "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. Thus, we are very pleased to be the co-host of this exhibition."

The Department of Agricultural Extension invited more than 1,000 Thai young smart farmers, leaders of agricultural learning centers, cooperatives and government officials from all 77 provinces. In guided tours through AGRITECHNICA ASIA and Horti ASIA, farmers will see solutions for increasing yield and efficiency in every stage of the agricultural value chain.

As government agencies have provided support from the very first editions of AGRITECHNICA ASIA and Horti ASIA, Ms. KanokpornDamronkul - the director of the exhibition department at the Thailand Convention and Exhibtion Bureau (TCEB) – stated, "TCEB's support campaign "Connect Businesses" and "Exhibiz in Market" for Horti ASIA and AGRITECHNICA ASIA aims to boost trade and business matching at the region's largest trade exhibition for horticulture.

TCEB's support reflects the bureau's policy to use trade shows to drive the Thailand 4.0 policy of the government as these two trade shows are involved in the development and upgrade of the agricultural sector and food processing industry, which is one of the 10 S-Curve industries in the Thailand 4.0 policy.

The bureau also believes that Thailand is the region's most suitable destination for business success in agricultural and food processing industries because Thailand is one the world's leading exporters in these two sectors, and with the country strategically located in the heartland of Southeast Asia, it makes it a perfect platform to tap into the emerging economies of the region."

Peter Grothues, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of DLG International GmbH (German Agricultural Society) referred to the comprehensive conference program of the twin events.

Grothues said, "This year, AGRITECHNICA ASIA will launch the first 'Agrifuture' forum. 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. Seminars and panel discussions like `Farming goes Digital – Ways to Get Agriculture Smart and Digital´, `Precision Farming in Rice Production´ and `One for All, All for One' and 'Success through Joint Machinery Use´ will address up-to-date topics relevant for the agriculture industry in Asia-Pacific."

Another highlight of the conference program is the world-class international forum on `Horticultural Product Quality´, outlining the Southeast Asia challenges on fresh produce quality during the post-harvest supply chain, organised by the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) on August 22.

In the following days, growers of fruit and vegetables will learn from researchers and exhibitors to implement recent postharvest technologies that optimise product quality from farms to consumers.

With the launch of Systems & Components Asia, MaschioGaspardo and DLG will organize a special demonstration on basic maintenance, demonstrating the correct use and maintenance of soil implements and farm operations.

Dr. Werner Kloos, Deputy Director General of the Department of Agriculture of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Germany, confirmed the importance of this topic: "it is not only about buying the appropriate machines, but also about subsequent training, handling and maintenance." Farmers and dealers can see multimedia demonstrations on each trade fair day.

Having the objective to meet colleagues and find the latest technology, over 500 hosted industry leaders such as Satra, TH Milk, Greenfields, VINAFRUIT and MitrPhol have confirmed their visit.

"VINAFRUIT's interest is to help Vietnamese growers and traders to export more Vietnamese fruit to other countries," said Dinh Van Houng, chairman of VINAFRUIT.

"Our growers attend the regional trade fair Horti ASIA to learn more about global conferences, industry leaders sharing expertise with our growers and meeting global standards. We also learn from other fellow growers from other countries. Vietnamese growers feel welcome at Horti ASIA in Bangkok, meeting the entire industry efficiently,"Dinh said.

Dr. Chris Aurand, Sr. Expert of MitrPhol Innovation & Research Centre sees the trade fairs as ideal platforms to get to know and connect with international partners.

The unique features of this year's event are as follows:

·       Farming technology from 29 countries

·       7 country pavilions: China, Finland, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the Netherlands

·       138 speakers from 20 countries and 52 organizations

·       Agrifuture Forum and DLG Forum: Best Practices in agriculture and horticulture

·       Seminar on Precision Farming in Rice Production by the International Rice and Research Institute (IRRI)

·       World-class researchers for the Horticulture Forum from the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS)

·       Panel Discussion on Regional Trade and Investment of Agricultural Machinery by the Regional Council of Agricultural Machinery Associations in Asia and the Pacific (ReCAMA)

·       Greenhouse and Urban Farming conferences on indoor cultivation

·       Systems & Components Special on basic maintenance of machinery