The organisers of Agritechnica Asia, German Agricultural Society (DLG) and VNU Exhibitions Asia Pacific, will launch two new events in Thailand and Myanmar, focussing on the agricultural sector in South East Asia
“Agritechnica Asia live – Field Demonstrations of Agricultural Machinery” will take place near Myanmar’s capital city of Naypyitaw from 29-30 November and “Agrifuture Conference & Exhibition – Prepare Yourself for Tomorrow's Agri-Business” will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 2-3 December.
“These two new events in Thailand and Myanmar are similar to technology showcase road shows with specific and highly technical content brought directly to the farmers at their doorstep,” said Jens Kremer, deputy managing director of DLG Service.
“They fulfil a need for more knowledge in a specific area such as rice cultivation or specific mechanisation issues. Agritechnica Asia acts to bring this together,” added Kremer.
In Myanmar – “Agritechnica Asia live”
The event is expected to attract around 1,000 visitors from the area around its venue, a location also hosting a World Bank-funded Agricultural Development Support Project. The country’s Agricultural Mechanisation Department (AMD) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation will be the official host.
Rice production will be central to the two-day event, with co-partners that include the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the Myanmar Rice Federation (MRF) and the World Bank (WB).
The event is expected to attract farmers, machinery operators/owners, mechanisation service providers, MRF members, researchers and technicians, and decision and policy makers. The programme will feature a field demonstration and networking dinner on the first day and a seminar on the second day.
In Thailand – Agrifuture Conference & Exhibition
The event is expected to attract around 1,200 attendees from across Asia-Pacific. The format is an international conference with accompanying side-exhibition and networking sessions. Farmers, machinery operators/owners/contractors, dealers, co-operatives, researchers and technicians, and decision and policy makers are among those expected to attend.
The first day of the event will include formal conference sessions on two topics, “Regional & global markets” and “Smart crop management & post-harvest technology”, while the focus on the second day is on “Mechanisation & Financing.” The exclusive exhibition taking place throughout the event is expected to feature about 30 exhibitors of disruptive technology for future farming.
Katharina Staske, project manager of Agritechnica Asia, said, “Along with our international farmers’ network, the DLG has expanded its relationship with farmers and expert organisations in South East Asia, and notably Thailand and Myanmar.”
Promoting technical progress in the food and farming sectors
The DLG is a politically independent, non-profit organisation promoting technical and scientific progress and knowledge transfer in the food and farming sectors. It was founded in 1885 by the engineer, writer and visionary Max Eyth, who was convinced that the industrial revolution, and mechanisation, in particular, would have a major impact on the agricultural sector. Eyth’s ideas remain at the centre of the DLG’s activities to this day.
The new Agritechnica Asia live event aims to meet the DLG’s objectives of transferring knowledge across borders but is in line with the stated goal of the Myanmar Rice Sector Development Strategy. The country aims to be a food-secure nation where smallholder farming households triple their household incomes, including income derived from rice and rice-based farming, thereby enjoying a decent standard of living comparable to that of urban dwellers. The sustainable intensification of rice production, using efficient and effective natural resource management methodologies for higher rice productivity and profitability, is the cornerstone for achieving this goal by 2030.
