With the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, the global community is confronted with the issue of food security. People’s movement and access to traditional food sources have been restricted due to the global lockdown. To ensure resiliency, sustainability, and continued consumer demand for their products following the pandemic crisis, food companies are focusing on digital supply chain transformation. Digital technologies have already played crucial part of agriculture well before the pandemic began. Nonetheless, the current situation has sped the urgency of finding new uses for technology in food production.
The agri-food sector can take advantage of digital tools such as e-commerce and mobile technologies to improve market access, artificial intelligence for better pest control and crop genetics, and tools for better natural resource management and early warning of food security threats. The Thai government, for example, is promoting smart farming technologies, such as agritech, automation & robotics, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and IoT (Internet of Things) to boost farm productivity and effectively respond to climate change and virus outbreaks. It supports digital smart farm piloting and has established a series of pilot farms across the country to demonstrate smart farming techniques, beginning with key strategic crops such as maize, rice, mangoes, and mangosteen. Pilot farms demonstrate the proof-of-concept for digital smart farm techniques as part of this initiative, and data is sent back to university researchers for analysis and processing. This smart farming initiative is the result of a partnership between government agencies and universities. Maize farms in Nakhon Sawan Province, rice farms in Suphanburi Province, and mango farms in Sukhothai Province are pilot farms that use these smart techniques for agricultural production.
The Thai government also has a medium-term plan to expand the Thai food industry to increase the economic value of local food and farm products for local economic development and positioning Thailand among the Top 10 food exporters in the world. Thailand’s efforts will also assist in addressing food insecurity in some countries amidst the pandemic. The government has established “Future Food” as a sector that will become a major economic boost. Thailand’s position in this new industry has been elevated to a global level due to a passionate new generation of food producers, digitalisation, and food technology. Building new entrepreneurs, scaling innovations, utilising online marketing platforms, and improving the ease of doing business are all part of this food development plan.
For those interested in food transformation, agritech innovations, or looking for business opportunities in the future food industry, don’t forget to visit Asia’s key F&B trade fair, THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA 2021 “The Hybrid Edition,” a combination of the online show called “THAIFEX Virtual Trade Show (VTS)” and physical event in response to the demands of the Thai and global food industry in establishing valuable relationships in the new normal era. The transformation process of the food industry is particularly reflected in the food trends and focus themes of the trade fair this year. This event will demonstrate that the food and beverage industry is encountering the challenges of transformation with new approaches and innovative products. The megatrends include the themes of sustainability, health, and digitalisation.
This year’s trade fair will be exciting with the participation of budding Thai industry players. For example, More Foods Innotech, a Thai startup that produces the “More Meat” brand of ready-to-cook plant-based meat, has teamed up with a business partner to develop and distribute two ready-to-eat meals: deep-fried spicy minced plant-based meat and stir-fried basil with plant-based meat. “In 2017, we imported international branded plant-based meat and found that it was not suitable for Thai cooking because it was too salty. Hence, we carried out research and developed our own plant-based meat, which we launched in 2019,” said Vorakan Tanachotevorapong, Co-Founder of More Foods. The company also reveals that the products will be exported to international markets in the 3rd quarter of 2021, with a focus on the ASEAN region and Europe.
THAIFEX-ANUGA ASIA 2021 “The Hybrid Edition” aims to establish an international business network and provide a platform for international communication, assisting the food and beverage industries in their mission to achieve sustainable growth.
