VNU Exhibitions Asia Pacific Co, Ltd and DLG International GmbH (German Agricultural Society - DLG) have organised an exclusive interview forum to discuss “Improving Efficiency in Crop Production – How New Technologies Support Farmers in Modern Crop Production”
Experts from the agriculture industry were invited to the event to share their points of view with the press.
The forum heard there was a shortage of workers in Thailand’s agriculture sector, which still depends on manual labour, but generates the lowest income per person. Many agricultural workers have changed occupation and left the sector completely to secure more stable incomes, and this could develop into a long-term challenge that could affect the production of agricultural products and food in the country.
There are currently about 7.5mn people aged 65 or more in Thailand and this is projected to increase to 17mn by 2040, which will represent more than a quarter of the expected population.
One of the solutions that is supported by both Thailand’s public and private sectors to help tackle the labour shortage is the introduction of mechanized farming practices to enhance the labour capacity and increase efficiency. Mechanised farming is not only able to solve the labour shortage by making the workers that remain much more productive, but it also assures a stable quantity and quality of production. This means a better and more stable income for farmers.
The DLG, which organizes Agritechnica, the world's leading trade fair for agricultural technology, is collaborating with VNU Exhibitions Asia Pacific Co., Ltd. to hold the second edition of Agritechnica Asia from 22-24 August 2018 at BITEC, Bangkok.
Dr Dares Kittiyopas, deputy director-general of the Department of Agricultural Extension, said, “Agritechnica Asia is very beneficial to the farmers because they can learn the latest innovation and new agricultural machinery that the organiser provide, and they will be ready to step into the new era of agriculture.”
As co-host of Agritechnica Asia 2018, the Department of Agricultural Extension will organize guided tours through the trade fair to present farming machine innovation to farmers and interested staff. More than 1,000 Thai smart farmers and provincial officers will be invited.
“The event is planned collaboratively with the organizers DLG and VNU to present technology and machines appropriate to the problems and the needs of farmers taking part, so that they could get maximum benefit from the exhibition and the meetings.”
Dr Pisut Paiboonrath, and expert in smart farming from Thailand's National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC), which is part of the country’s National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), said that the concept of Smart Farming was a topic that interested the public because it represented the shift from the old-fashioned way of farming into modern agriculture using technology and information and communications technology for production and marketing.
There is a lot of activity in the agricultural industry throughout the Asian region, especially in Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, and of course Thailand, with its very diverse market. This has been a key driver for AGCO to take part in Agritechnica Asia , where it will showcase its latest products and hopes to meet new customers.
Peter Grothues, chairman of the advisory board of DLG International GmbH, said, “Improving efficiency in crop production is an especially important topic in Southeast Asia, where the demand for agricultural products is rising steadily. The event has the main propose to share the knowledge related to the main discussion topics from the government, research institute and leading companies, how the smart farming technology can support the farmers in Southeast Asia, and especially in Thailand.”
“The first insights have been given, and at Agritechnica Asia and the co-located trade fair Horti ASIA, visitors will see technology from about 300 international companies. In panel discussions, seminars and workshops, farmers will get to learn more about several areas such as precision farming in rice cropping or the implementation of machinery rings."
Agritechnica Asia 2018
The trade fair for agricultural machinery in Asia will be held together with its official partners AGCO Holding (Singapore) Pte. Limited; Röhren- und Pumpenwerk Bauer GmbH (Austria); Celikel Tarim Makineleri San. Ve Tic. Ltd. Sti. (Turkey); FLIEGL Agrartechnik GmbH (Germany); Maschio Gaspardo S.p.A. (Italy); Minos Agricultural Machinery (Turkey); PÖTTINGER Landtechnik GmbH (Austria); and Jiangsu World Agricultural Machinery (China).
Co-located with Horti Asia , solutions for improving efficiency in crop production suitable for Southeast Asia will be shown by about 300 companies from 25 countries, enabling farmers to make sound investment decisions. The trade fair will be accompanied by a comprehensive conference program, including panel discussions and seminars by experts from organizations such as the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Regional Council of Agricultural Machinery Associations in Asia and the Pacific (ReCAMA).
