The remark from one excited exhibitor after the
FIAAP, VICTAM & GRAPAS 2014 exhibitions and conferences closed in Bangkok
last week. With the exhibitions being sold out and over 15% bigger than the
2012 show, together with the event being supported by a comprehensive series of
conferences all that was needed were the visitors, and they came!
The shows and conferences once again attracted
senior trade visitors not just from Thailand but from throughout South and
South East Asia, about 30% were from outside Thailand. Despite a number of
adverse situations, the number of dedicated visitors to the shows was just over
6100, and there were more conference delegates than in 2012.
The general elections in India and Indonesia
meant fewer visitors from those countries, but the biggest problem of all was
the civil unrest in Thailand and especially in Bangkok. Many visitors were uneasy
about travelling to Thailand after the negative publicity concerning the civil
unrest and demonstrations in the country’s capital. However not one exhibitor
cancelled or even asked to cancel, this is evidence of the commitment by the
exhibitors to the show and the future of the Asia/Pacific region’s industries.
The event organisers,
Victam International BV of The Netherlands, held the first ever ASEAN Feed
& Rice Symposium was during the event. A full auditorium of industry VIPs
listened attentively to the keynote speeches which were delivered by senior executives
from the Asian Development Bank, the ASEAN Economic Community and the Food and
Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
(Transcripts of these speeches
can be found on www.victam.com)
These
included issues such as the impact of the ASEAN free trade zone on the feed and
rice industries and critical feed safety, security and sustainability issues
facing the region in 2015 and beyond.
Another first for this
event was the inaugurating session of the ASEAN Feed Summit, again organised by
Victam International BVand hosted by the Thai Feed Mill Association. Held in
closed session and chaired by Mr.Pornsil
Patchrintanakul, President of the Thai Feed Mill Association, and moderated by
Ms. Alexandra
de Athayde, IFIF Executive Director, brought together senior feed regulators
and industry representatives from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar,
the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
During the
discussion a number of issues were identified for further potential co-operation,
including capacity development for feed safety, efforts towards regulatory
harmonisation, as well as the need to work with all stakeholders on agri-food
chain on common challenges.
Mr. Mario Sergio Cutait,
IFIF Chairman, welcomed “the opportunity to join this important Summit and to
work towards closer collaboration in Asia.”
The Summit concluded in
the formation of a Federation of ASEAN Feed Associations and the Chairman, Mr.Pornsil Patchrintanakul, was elected unanimously.
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
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