Seagriculture virtual conference to premiere in Asia-Pacific region

AdobeStock 354575036The Seagriculture conference, a leading annual seaweed industry event, is launching an online edition ‘Seagriculture Asia-Pacific 2023’ that is dedicated to the seaweed industry in the Asia Pacific region

Taking place on 8 and 9 February 2023, the new edition will supply industry knowledge on seaweed topics for a region forecast to grow threefold by 2029.

Organised by DLG Benelux with partners, the new Seagriculture Asia-Pacific conference will cover industry topics relevant for the region, from seaweed farming and mechanisation to market trends and business development, as well as breeding and disease management.

“With this new online edition ‘Seagriculture Asia Pacific’, we are meeting the demand for more specialist knowledge in virtually every technical area of the seaweed supply chain in the region,” said Kuno Jacobs, managing director, DLG Benelux.

Driven by increasing demand for seaweed in industries such as pharmaceuticals, personal care, agriculture, domestic, animal feed as well as food and beverages, the Asia-Pacific commercial seaweed market is expected to reach nearly US$16bn by 2029.

"Due to an acute demand in North America for knowledge, we launched the Seagriculture conference in the US, which proved to be successful, bringing together experts from different parts of the world, honing in on regional issues.

“The Seagriculture Asia-Pacific will be another such event that promotes the sharing of industry knowledge. We will be hosting the first event online, to enable participation in multiple time zones," added Jacobs.

Keynote speakers, Simon Funge-Smith, Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) regional office for Asia and the Pacific, Thailand; and Brian Von Herzen, Climate Foundation, Australia, will present an overview of seaweed production in Asia, including trade and social challenges, hurricane-proven offshore seaweed mariculture and deepwater irrigation as well as climate disruptions.

In the six session topics, ranging from smart farming technologies to seaweed nutriceuticals, 23 international experts from four continents will explore the regional aspects of cultivation, processing, sales and business planning in kelp farming as well as technical trends and prospects for the  future. Interactive discussions are an important part of all sessions over the two days.