FROM THE EDITOR Dear readers, Thailand is one of the world’s top exporters of food products and commodities. Its agricultural sector accounts for approximately 8 per cent of its GDP and approximately 43 per cent of Thailand’s total land area. In 2018, of the 39 million people in the total labour force, about 13 million people were involved in the agricultural sector, according to Thailand’s Department of Agricultural Extension. Following its national strategy “Thailand 4.0”, Thailand has transitioned during recent years from traditional agriculture to more innovative agriculture which aims to increase productivity, improve product quality, and add more value to products. Since 2011, the Thai government has been promoting the adoption of modern technologies in the agricultural sector as part of a smart farming programme. The Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in co-operation with Total Access Communication PLC (dtac) and the Sam Nuk Rak Ban Kerd Foundation launched a programme to educate farmers in various fields, such as rice, cash crops, livestock, and aquaculture. Farmers also receive weather information and forecasts, satellite images and information about crops through their mobile phones. A precision farming project using IoT and Big Data to manage agricultural output has also been introduced to farmers by the National Science and Technology Development Agency’s (NSTDA) National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) and dtac, and it has become successful among young and smart farmers. The Agricultural Technology and Innovation Management Institute (AGRITEC) was established by NSTDA in 2016 to suppor t agricultural businesses and organisations in the development and implementation of new technologies. NSTDA has developed the Agri-Map information platform together with several partners, which farmers can use to identify suitable locations for their particular crops. In 2017, the Thai government approved the 20-year Agriculture and Cooperatives Strategies (2017-2036) to define Thailand’s vision of smart farming with three primary objectives – giving farmers greater financial security, creating a more prosperous agriculture segment, and emphasizing sustainable agricultural resource management. The Office of the Board of Investment (BoI) is promoting the transition of the agriculture sector to “Agriculture 4.0” by providing smart farming incentives to interested investors. Manufacturers of smart farming products, such as detection or tracking systems, resources regulation systems and smart greenhouse systems as well as service providers that enable digitization of farming, are granted a five-year corporate income tax (CIT) exemption with no annual limit. Manufacturing of electronic control and measurement instruments, or their parts, for agricultural use receives an eight-year CIT exemption. The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, in cooperation with Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives’ (MOAC) Rice Department and private sector partners, is working with stakeholders across the rice value chain to operationalize climate-friendly technologies and practices for a sustainable and resilient rice sector, showcasing that sustainable rice production not only is viable, but that it can help farmers, communities, and the sector to thrive. I trust you will enjoy an interesting and informative read.
Dr. Roland Wein UPDATE is published quarterly by the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce (GTCC) and distributed through an electronic platform to members and qualified non-members in Thailand and abroad. It is also available on our website: thailand.ahk.de/en/publications. Any opinions expressed in ar ticles in this e-magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of the Chamber. UPDATE welcomes story and photo contributions from members and non-members alike. Ar ticles may be reproduced with acknowledgement, except for those taken from other sources. For inquiries, please contact: communications@gtcc.org. Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Dr. Roland Wein
Editor & Communications Director: Chadaphan Maliphan
Design & Layout: Sorapol Liengboonlertchai
Sub-Editor: Tony Oliver
CONTENTS
INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE
GTDEE INSIGHT
04 Thai agriculture becoming smart and sustainable
29 BMW Service Apprentice Programme and GTDEE
09 Innovations for a sustainable and resilient Thai
rice sector
10 A fruitful education – Changing the lives of durian
smallholders through agricultural training sessions
12 Baling sugar cane leaves - Fuelling power plants,
programme introduction and pre-selection
29 AdA International – Train the Trainer at KMUTNB 30 Interim Examination for Mercedes Benz
Apprentices Batch 2019
reducing air pollution with the CLAAS QUADRANT
BUSINESS BRIEFS
14 The transition: Composing a smart farm 16 Interview: Total Access Communication (dtac)
18 Interview: National Electronics and Computer
33 MoU signing on anti-Covid-19 “Upscaling Sanitizer
Technology Center (NECTEC)
CHAMBER ACTIVITIES 20 GTCC connects: Welcome New Year 2021 21 Thailand Economic Outlook 2021 22 GTCC Site Visit to Continental Tyres (Thailand) 23 GTCC Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) 2021 25 Thai-German Virtual Conference: “Biogas
(including Biogas upgrading)”
32 Häfele Thailand celebrates the grand opening of
its distribution centre extension and holds DGNB certificate ceremony Production in Thailand and Promoting Hand Hygiene” project
MEMBERS’ CORNER 34 New GTCC Members
TRADE FAIRS 36 Interzoo digital 37 DMEA 2021 38 Insights-X 2021
04 INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE
Thai agriculture becoming smart and sustainable Thomas Hundt
Successful agriculture accepts innovations The tropical climate and fertile soil in Thailand enable the cultivation of high-yielding crops. Experts certify that the country has made use of this potential over the recent decades and has built a flourishing agricultural economy and an extremely successful food industry that can do more than just supply the population – it even exports large quantities of products. Thailand is the world’s sixth-largest rice producer, fourth in sugar cane farming, third behind Indonesia and Malaysia among palm oil producers, third in cassava and among the five largest countries that cultivate pineapples and mangoes. Thailand ranks at the top when it comes to the harvest of natural rubber. About 46 per cent of the countr y’s land area is used for agriculture. In Germany the proportion is around 50 per cent. However, the agricultural areas are shrinking in Thailand because industrial parks, new settlements and
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traffic routes are taking up more and more land. Farmers can only expand their land at the expense of nature. If they want to increase their income, they will have to become more productive and innovative.
Depar tment. Provinces, municipalities and agricultural associations are also carrying out their own water projects.
Exhausted resources
Total domestic consumption of households is currently shrinking because disposable incomes are falling and income from international tourism has plunged. Gastronomy and retail businesses are selling less food during the current crisis.
Agriculture consumes about one-third of the total amount of Thailand’s water resources. According to the most recent survey, around 4.8 million hectares of agricultural land were irrigated in 2014. Climate change is having a negative impact through increasingly severe floods and longer periods of drought. In 2019 and 2020, for example, water shor tages resulted in lower yields of important crops such as rice and sugar cane. Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture has therefore increased its budget for water projects significantly. The increase is allocated to the construction of additional reservoirs, pipelines and canals for irrigation and drainage as well as repairs of the existing systems. The projects are implemented by the Royal Irrigation
Covid-19 affects the food industry
Also small-scale farmers quickly get into financial difficulties when demand and agricultural prices fall. However, as part of Covid-19 relief measures, they are receiving direct payments and price subsidies, and can postpone loan payments or take out new low-cost loans. Agriculture and food industry are facing additionally labour shortage. At the end of 2020, the Ministry of Labour counted 170,806 foreign workers in agriculture and forestry as well as 200,769 guest workers who are
INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE 05
employed in the processing or wholesale of agricultural products. Because of Covid-19 in some provinces, authorities are now consistently restricting the entry of guest workers, who mainly come from Myanmar. A second Covid-19 wave then broke out in mid-December at a fish market in the Samut Sakhon province, to the south-west of Bangkok. The province is the centre of the fish and seafood processing industry, which employs many guest workers but Thailand has the spread of the corona virus relatively well under control.
The agricultural sector is breaking new ground Thailand has long-term goals. In 2017, the government passed the national development str ategy that extends until 2036. The Agriculture and Cooperatives Strategy (201 7 -2 0 3 6 ) s h ow s w ays t o a ch i e ve greater prosperity, sustainability, greater competitiveness and security in the supply of food. The Office of Agricultural Economics, under the Ministr y of Agriculture outlines in detail these goals in the Agriculture and Cooperatives Strategy. The added value of agricultural products should be increased and based on new market trends. The plan aims to improve the quality, safety and nutritional values of agricultural products. The use of the most modern agricultural technology and organic cultivation is to be increased. The interest in organic farming is also increasing. More and more companies are selling their products under the ‘Organic’ label. In 2019, 44,418 organic farms were licensed to farm a total of 85,000 hectares organically. They have received Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) cer tificates from IFOAM Organics International or have obtained their certificates through the Foundation of Organic Agriculture Certification Thailand. The Ministry of Agriculture also offers training and subsidies in organic farming.
Support for investments in agro-industry 4.0 The Thailand 4.0 incentive programme from 2017 has identified agriculture, biotechnology
and the food industry as core sectors that should attain higher technological levels. The government supports investments as well as research and development activities par ticularly in these sectors. The Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) lists the eligible activities for domestic and foreign investors. The BOI can exempt companies that want to manufacture agrochemicals or agricultural products from corporate tax for three to eight years, and can authorise duty-free impor ts of machiner y. Companies that participate in the BOI programme can more easily acquire building plots and obtain work permits for their foreign skilled staff. The BOI approved 48 foreign projects in the agricultural industr y from Januar y to September 2020, the investments totalled around US$ 250 million. Companies from South-East Asia received the most project approvals. Five projects came from companies in the European Union.
Support for intelligent agriculture The Thai government has been promoting the automation and digitization of the agricultural sector as part of a smart farming programme since 2011. Farmers who invest in smar t farming can apply for favourable financing from the state-run Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives. The Ministry of Agriculture and Total Access Communication PLC (dtac) have also launched a training programme. Farmers learn to get weather information and forecasts, satellite images and information about crops online. The start-up company Ricult provides as well financial information for farmers on its app.
developed an intelligent system that supports intelligent cultivation methods, especially in small areas. Greenhouses can use it to automatically control their irrigation, fertilisation and greenhouse temperature. The statistics portal Statista estimated the Thai smart farming market to be US$ 129 million in 2018 and forecasts that it will more than double to US$ 270 million by 2022 as the demand for sensors, information and communication technology and software will increase strongly. Drones are also tested and used to spread fertilisers and plant protection agents. The drones are produced locally and imported. Companies such as Siam Yamaha Motor Robotics, ATI Technologies, Kaset Gen-Y, Novy and Bug Away offer their own drones, while importers such as SKYVIV bring foreign drone technology into the country.
Strong structure of agriculture Agriculture, forestry and fishing contributed more than 8 per cent to Thailand’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019. In Germany, the sector accounts for less than 1 per cent of economic output. The proportion declined in Thailand in recent years because the agricultural economy grew more slowly than the economy as a whole. Agriculture is stabilising the economy during the Covid-19 crisis. Total GDP fell by 6.7 per cent in the first nine months of 2020 compared with the same period in the previous year, while the added value of agriculture, forestry and fishing only fell by 5.2 per cent.
The national research agency NSTDA founded the Agricultural Technology and Innovation Management Institute (AGRITEC) in 2016, which supports agricultural businesses and organizations in the implementation and development of new technologies. NSTDA has developed the information platform Agri-Map with several partners, for example, with which farmers can identify particularly suitable locations for their crops. The company Moscii from Bangkok has
www.thailand.ahk.de
06 INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE
Yields of important crops and meat (million tons)
Product
Raw rice Sugar cane
2019 2020 31.3
30.0
128.4
75.6
Cassava
30.8
29.2
Oil palm fruit
16.4
16.2
Natural rubber
4.8
4.8
Corn
4.7
4.8
Pineapple
1.8
1.4
Chicken meat
3.3
3.3
Pork meat
1.4
1.4
Source: Office of Agricultural Economics.
Rice is the most important crop
Key data on agriculture in Thailand
Indicator
Total
Population (2020, in millions)
69.8
Agricultural area (2019, in square kilometres)
238,804
Share of agriculture, forestry and fishing in contribute to the GDP (January to September 2020, nominal, in per cent)
8.1
Agricultural goods exports (2019, billion US dollars, SITC 0)
31.0
Source: Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council, Comtrade.
Millions of people are employed informally as they work on a self-employed basis without fixed contracts. Many of the freelancers in the cities have lost their jobs due to Covid-19 and due to downturn in the hospitality industry, and they have moved back to the countryside to live with their families.
technology and in large-scale cultivation and harvesting methods.
Every third worker is employed in agriculture, forestry or fisheries. The primary sectors employed around 12.6 million people in the third quarter of 2020, the same number as in the same quarter of the previous year.
According to a last survey in 2014, the farmers themselves only owned 48 per cent of the arable land. In addition, more than a third of their soil was mortgaged. Farmers are also increasingly leasing land.
Insufficient capital for investments
The State also provides low-income farming families with farmland free of charge. The so-called “Sor Por Kor” programme started in 1975 and distributes degraded forest tracts to poor and landless farmers The Agricultural Land Reform Office has set the agriculture land reform.
In January 2021, 9.2 million farmers and 8.1 million agricultural households were registered officially. The farms use an area of 3.9 hectares on average. These smallholder structures make it difficult to invest in the latest agricultural
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In addition, farm households often lack capital. In 2019, they were in debt at an average of more than US$ 7,100. Some are even living below the poverty line.
Rice fields account for almost half of the agricultural land. Experts estimate that farmers will reap a harvest of 31 million tons in 2021. Better weather conditions and subsidy payments should support rice cultivation. Thailand exported around 5.7 million tons of rice in 2020 and was third among the largest rice expor ting countries (India 14 million tons; Vietnam 6.3 million tons). Thai rice exports totalled 11.7 million tons in 2017. The Thai Rice Exporters Association attributes the recent decline in exports to the strength of the Thai baht. Thai rice is also not soft enough for the global taste. The main impor ting countries in 2020 were South Africa and the United States of America. The sugar cane harvest collapsed by around 40 per cent in 2020 due to a severe drought. Some farmers will switch to other crops in the future after doubling the cropland since 2010 to 1.8 million hectares. The country’s 57 sugar factories also intensively invested in their facilities during this period. They expor t most of the raw sugar and white sugar. Beverage manufacturers are buying most of the sugar, but are reducing their demand for the natural sweetener. Thailand is the largest producer of natural rubber. Most of the plantations are in the
INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE 07
south of the country. The production of latex declined in 2020 due to a fungal infestation on the rubber trees and a lack of labour. Production is expected to stabilise in the current year. Most of the rubber is exported to China and used in tyre production. The oil palm acreage has expanded to 0.9 million hectares in the past 10 years. The government wants to expand cultivation, especially because it wants to secure the supply of biofuels. In 2019, Thailand’s 149 palm oil mills processed around 16 million tons of oil palm fruit into 3 million litres of palm oil. One half of the palm oil is used as biodiesel and the other half is used as an ingredient in food and personal care products.
A highly advanced tapioca industry According to business associations, the cassava harvest is expected to fall to 25 million tons in 2021 due to the spread of the cassava mosaic virus as well as the drought in the north-eastern region of the country. However, the demand for starch made from dried cassava roots (tapioca) remains high. More than 300 companies dry and process the roots into chips and other dried varieties, which in turn are used to manufacture animal feed, citric acid and alcohol. Thailand promotes the production and use of ethanol as a fuel. The overall production capacity for ethanol from cassava is around 3 million litres per day and it is being expanded.
“ Thailand needs more know-how and foreign technologies in order to convert agricultural products or waste into bioplastics, biochemicals and other high-valuable substances for various industrial application.” More than 100 companies also produce virgin or modified starch from cassava, which is further processed by other local companies into glutamate, sweeteners, cosmetics and a binding agent for pharmaceuticals.
Agricultural and food industries go hand in hand In 2019, 42,750 factories that process agricultural raw materials, were registered. The Department of Industry also licensed 9,516 food factories. The food industry is the largest industry in Thailand. Its success is based on the availability of cheap agricultural raw materials. In addition, the food industry focuses on foreign markets and takes up innovation quickly. The agricultural company Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF), founded in 1978, has grown into one of the largest corporations in the country. CPF is the world’s largest producer of animal feed. The CP Group is active in several areas of the food industry and in the food trade.
Important agricultural enterprises in Thailand (products; sales in US dollars million; percentage change) Name Business area
Revenue 2019
Change in 2019/2018
CPF
Feed, animal husbandry, food
17,180
-1.7
Mitr Phol
Sugarcane, sugar, ethanol
3,124
-3.0
Betagro
Poultry, pig production, food, pet food
2,425
-10
Sri Trang Agro-Industry
Natural rubber
1,944
-18
TFG
Poultry production
939
2.5
GFPT
Poultry production
561
2.2
North East Rubber
Natural rubber
423
20
Note: Average exchange rate in 2019: US$ 1 = 31 Baht Source: company information.
Mechanised agriculture requires many tractors The market research company Ken Research forecasts that the Thai market for agricultural machinery will grow from US$ 1.7 billion to US$ 1.9 billion between 2019 and 2025. In 2019, imports totalled US$ 1.2 billion. Japan supplied around 30 per cent and China 24 per cent of the foreign agricultural machinery. Small and medium-sized tr actor s and harvesters are used intensively. However, sales fell in 2020 due to the economic crisis. Production and expor ts also fell slightly with manufacturers expor ting agricultural machinery worth US$ 1.1 billion in 2019. The competition is ver y intense among local producers such as Siam Kubota, Kaset Phattana, Yanmar S.P., Talaythong Factory, Tamco as well as the sales offices of international suppliers such as John Deere, Iseki and New Holland. The German agricultural machinery company Class also founded a distribution centre in Bangkok in 2012, which is responsible for sales in Thailand and all of South-East Asia.
Strong competition in agrochemicals The total Thai fertiliser market is around 5 million tons annually, most of which is applied to rice fields. Thailand impor ts fer tilisers (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) that are mixed locally. Traders also market readyto-use complex fer tilisers. Total fer tiliser imports in 2019 were US$ 1.6 billion. Thai Central Chemical PCL. describes itself as the country’s largest manufacturer and distributor of fertilisers. The Department of Internal Trade of the Ministry of Commerce sets price limits on certain fertilisers. Organic fertilisers are becoming more popular because of the trend towards organic farming.
www.thailand.ahk.de
08 INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE
fall below guaranteed purchase prices, the state-owned Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives compensates the difference. The minimum prices for rice from October 2020 to May 2021 is US$ 330 to US$ 495 per ton, depending on the variety. The budget of the rice guarantee programme for this timeframe is US $ 1.7 billion. For 2021, the government has also set guaranteed prices and budgets for natural rubber, cassava and corn. In 2019, traders imported around 131,000 tons of pesticides worth around US$ 680 million. Pesticide use is par ticularly high in the cultivation of high-value crops such as vegetables and fruit. International manufacturers of agrochemicals such as Adama (Israel), UPL (India), Dupont (United States), Yara (Norway) and Syngenta (Switzerland) as well as BASF and Bayer have set up local sales and training branches. The German Development Cooperation (GIZ) also supports farmers who want to use pesticides more responsibly, by providing training on alternative, biological pesticides. GIZ and its partners also advise rice farmers and small-scale palm oil farmers who want to be certified according to an internationally recognised standard.
Restrictions for foreigners The Foreign Business Act of 1999 prohibits foreigners and foreign companies from doing business in the fields of agriculture, plantations, rice cultivation and animal husbandr y. According to the Agricultural Land Reform Act, foreigners are also not allowed to acquire agricultural land. However, they can lease land for up to 30 years for certain activities, for example, to carry out research and development activities in the agricultural sector. Foreign companies wishing to get involved in the agricultural sector should therefore obtain legal advice in advance.
Farm price guarantees The government sets price guarantees for
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Controversial pesticides banned The governmental Committee on National Hazardous Substances banned the use of the herbicide Paraquat and the insecticide Chlorpyrifos on 1 June 2020. Both pesticides are classified as hazardous to health. The use of the herbicide Glyphosate remains in the category subject to approval and has
not been banned. Agricultural products that contain Glyphosate and which comply with maximum residue levels may also continue to be imported into Thailand, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. All fertilisers and pesticides require approval from the Depar tment of Agriculture. The Depar tment of Livestock Development (DLD) is responsible for importing and keeping livestock, while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Ministr y of Health provides information on the approval and licensing of food products.
Contact details: Thomas Hundt Director Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos GERMANY TRADE & INVEST www.gtai.com
Contact addresses
Name
Remarks
AHK Thailand
Contact point for German companies
Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives
Ministry of Agriculture
Office of Agricultural Economics
Office for Agricultural Economics, Statistics, Planning
Thai Rice Exporters Association, Thai Rice Packers Association, Thai Rice Mills Association
Industry associations for rice.
Tapioca industry associations.
The Thai Tapioca Trade Association, Thai Tapioca Starch Association, Thai Tapioca Products Factory Association, North-Eastern Tapioca Trade Association
Office of Cane and Sugar Board
Department in the Ministry of Economic Affairs for the sugar industry.
Thai Rubber Association
Natural rubber industry association.
THAIFEX – Anuga Asia
Trade fair with a joint German stand, together with Hortiasia and Agritechasia from 29 September to 3 October 2021 in Bangkok.
PALMEX Thailand
Palm oil trade fair, 1-2 December 2021 in Surat Thani Province.
INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE 09
Innovations for a sustainable and resilient Thai rice sector Sarida Khananusit
Rice cultivation emits one-third of Thailand’s methane emissions and 8% of its total greenhouse gas emissions, which drive climate change. At the same time, rice cultivation is critically exposed to the impacts of climate change, which are expected to lead to reductions in current yields. Maintaining current rice yields to secure the livelihood of 4.4 million farm households involved in the crop’s production in Thailand and to meet growing demand for rice globally requires a new norm, with sustainable rice production at its core.
to apply new agricultural technologies and practices that result in less methane-emitting approaches in irrigated rice production areas.
The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, in cooperation with the Ministr y of Agriculture and Cooperatives’ (MOAC) Rice Depar tment and private sector partners, is implementing sustainable rice projects in six provinces in the Central Plains and four provinces in the Northeast to showcase that sustainable rice production not only is viable, but that it can help farmers, communities, and the sector to thrive.
Shifting to these technologies will enhance smallholder farmers’ income, deliver livelihood improvements to farm households, and reduce the environmental impacts of rice production on-farm and for communities. The Thai Rice NAMA project aims to reach 100,000 farm households by August 2023.
This is one of 19 demonstration sites across Chainat, Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Suphan Buri, Ang Thong and Sing Buri that has enabled farmers and local agricultural officials to learn about sustainable and low-emission rice farming practices including Laser Land Levelling (LLL) technology, Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), Site Specific Nutrient Management, Straw and Stubble Management.
Connecting farmers to sustainable rice supply chains in the Northeast
Through the Thai Rice NAMA project, MOAC-GIZ are supporting Thai farmers to adopt climate-friendly technologies to increase yields, save water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Central Plains.
In Ubon Ratchathani, Roi-Et, Surin and Si Saket, the Market-Oriented Smallholders Value Chain (MSVC) project, also known as Better Rice Initiative Asia (BRIA II), is suppor ting rice farming communities to meet emergent requirements and regulations on quality, safety, sustainability, and traceability of rice that is trending among governments, businesses, and consumers.
A recent ‘Laser Land Leveling in Rice Demonstration Event’ held in Ayutthaya Province is part of a series of events aiming to catalyse Thailand’s rice production sector
Capacity building focuses on applying practices in the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) Standard for Sustainable Rice Cultivation, the world’s first voluntary sustainability standard
Mainstreaming climate-smart technologies in the Central Plains
GIZ Agriculture and Food Cluster
Smallholder farmers interested in implementing the laser land levelling technology for increasing rice yields can apply for financial support from the Rice Department and the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives.
GIZ Agriculture and Food Cluster
Farmers applying practices in the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) Standard are reducing the environmental footprint of rice cultivation, all while seeing economic and social benefits.
for rice. Practices include direct seeding technology to strengthen seedling health and pest resistance, know-how on good tillage or soil ploughing to improve soil health, rational use of fertilsers to reduce residues and lower input costs, and no-burning of agri-wastes to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The results are clear. Farmers are harvesting high-quality rice grains that are in-demand by millers and rice buyers – and which are commanding commensurate prices that reflect trust in sustainable production practices and the resulting quality. The MSVC (BRIA II) project is now working with 16,000 farmers to produce rice following the SRP Standard, and expects up to 60,000 tonnes of unmilled, export-quality Thai Hom Mali Rice to be distributed to the market this year.
Contact details: Sarida Khananusit Project Director, Mainstreaming Sustainable Rice through the Sustainable Rice Platform Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Tel: + 66 2 255 4202 sarida.khananusit@giz.de www.giz.de/thailand https://www.asean-agrifood.org/
10 INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE
A fruitful education – Changing the lives of durian smallholders through agricultural training sessions Bayer
As par t of Bayer’s commitment to food security and sustainability and the company’s support for more than 100 million smallholder farmers in developing countries by 2030, Bayer aims to provide greater access to sustainable agricultural solutions.
The BayG.A.P. service programme, a collaboration between Bayer, Kasetsart University and the Thai Department of Agriculture, Region 6, supports farmers in their efforts to be certified and connected to the food value chain. The Good Agricultural Practices (G.A.P.) programme was introduced in Thailand in 2019. Since then, hundreds of smallholders, have attended BayG.A.P. training sessions and fast-tracked their local G.A.P. certification process. When China announced new certification requirements for durian fruit imports in July 2019, Thai farmers were left unsure of how to adhere to the new, strict regulations on the use of crop protection products, soil quality control, water use and more. However, if they want to continue to expor t fruit to China, meeting these regulations is necessary. Access to the Chinese market is crucial for Thai smallholder farmers is crucial, since China is the largest importer of Thai durian and therefore provides a major source of income. In addition, Chinese consumers rely on these transactions as Thailand supplies 80 per cent of fresh durian, their favourite delicacy, each year.
Challenging beliefs through training As of today, more than 1,000 farmers in Chanthaburi, an important durian growing area in Thailand, and other nearby provinces have participated in ongoing BayG.A.P. training sessions. BayG.A.P. designs its modules as straightforward, hands-on experiences. The training includes a mixture of theory discussions and in-field demonstrations together with exercises and an examination at the end of each module to evaluate the par ticipants’ comprehensiveness.
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INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE 11
Moreover, the training features BayG.A.P. Farm Advisors who provide smallholders with customised, on-farm consultations regarding integrated crop management and sustainability practices. “BayG.A.P. training modules encourage farmers to reconsider some of their farming traditions and, instead, place emphasis on safe use practices and sustainable production,” says Dr. Chainarong Rattanakreetakul, Associate Professor at Kasetsart University.
“ Access to overseas markets also avoids food waste as growers can sell their entire supply. With the United Nations General Assembly declaring 2021 as the International Year of Fruit and Vegetables (IYFV), reducing the losses and waste in fruit food systems is of the utmost importance as food waste contributes to climate change, hunger, economic insecurity and pressure on limited resources.”
Upon successfully completing the training, the farmers receive both a BayG.A.P. recognition certificate and a pre-audit to directly obtain their local ThaiGAP certificate that facilitates access to both regional and global expor t markets. For durian growers, this access makes a world of difference as it allows them to export their fruit to China as opposed to selling exclusively in the saturated market of Thailand. This expanded access prevents them from losing out on vital financial opportunities needed to support their families.
Access to overseas markets also avoids food waste as growers can sell their entire supply. With the United Nations General Assembly declaring 2021 as the International Year of Fruit and Vegetables (IYFV), reducing the losses and waste in fruit food systems is of the utmost importance as food waste contributes to climate change, hunger, economic insecurity and pressure on limited resources.
Reaching more farmers, virtually While BayG.A.P. has already helped hundreds of farmers, there are still many more in need of their local G.A.P. or equivalent certificate. Thai smallholders have difficulty in getting their
certificate due to the cost and the resources required. On top of that, Covid-19 presents its own challenges and threatens in-person interactions including training sessions. In response to these issues, BayG.A.P. provides sponsorships to fully cover the cost of training and is planning to extend its reach by making the service programme available virtually. In December 2020, the Office of Agricultural Research and Development, Region 6, in collaboration with Bayer Thailand and Kasetsart University presented their 2- in-1 G.A.P. app at the Hor tEx Fair in Thailand. Through the app and associated website, farmer s can attend vir tual lessons on G.A.P. and take their ThaiGAP certification assessment online. In addition to ThaiGAP, the app also provides entry knowledge to what is needed for any other G.A.P.-based certification. By going virtual, BayG.A.P. hopes to speed up the steps of the cer tification process and provide convenience both for farmers and for auditors.
Contact details: Bayer Thai Co., Ltd Communications Division Tel: +66 2 232 7000 www.bayer.co.th 1,120 farmers in Chanthaburi take part in a BayG.A.P. training session.
www.thailand.ahk.de
12 INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE
CLAAS QUADRANT 4200 and CLAAS Tractor baling sugar cane leaves at Lopburi, Thailand.
Baling sugar cane leaves Fuelling power plants, reducing air pollution with the CLAAS QUADRANT Kruewan Thong-om and Lukas Viebrock It is undeniable that agricultural burning is a major contributor to the air pollution problem in Thailand. Yet farmers options to collect crop residue are limited. With this problem in mind, CLAAS QUADRANT offers farmers the oppor tunity to bale sugar cane leaves and other agricultural waste instead of burning them. Ever y year around November, a sudden increase in air pollution levels can be seen all over Thailand, especially in Bangkok. At the same time, the har vesting season of sugar cane begins – a timing that is not a coincidence. It has long been common practice to burn sugar cane fields before the harvest to allow faster cutting by hand once the sharp leaves had been burned off. As the process of manual harvesting can take a long time, and burning can make it faster. However, the degree Brix and weight can decrease drastically within 48 hours. Rising mechanization with sugar cane harvesters already requires less pre-harvest burning; however, the leaves are still left on
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the field as waste material after the harvest. The fields need to be cleared quickly to start the next cropping cycle, and thus burning has often been the first choice; the result is heavy air pollution. Although often referred to as sugar cane trash, the agricultural residue is valuable fuel for power plants to generate green energy. Here, with its QUADRANT square baler, CLAAS offers a practical solution to allowing easier and faster collection of sugar cane leaves. This serves two key purposes – fulfilling the material demand of e power plants while clearing the fields for the next crop. Sugar cane field burning in Thailand.
INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE 13
and produced straw bales of up to 360 kg in weight, with bale dimensions that corresponded exactly to the usual transport measurements in the European market. Eight years later, in 1996 CLAAS launched the QUADRANT 2200 in the market. With a completely new power train, new baler frame construction and the ultra-convenient CLAAS Control Terminal, it promoted even higher worker/hour profitability ratios for contracting operations. Currently, CLAAS provides three models of the QUADRANT. The QUADRANT 4200 can be viewed as the entr y model with a bale size of 1.2 x 0.7 metres, while the QUADRANT 5200 and 5300 come with a bale size of 1.20 x 0.90 metres.
About CLAAS:
CLAAS Network in South-East Asia.
“ Although often referred to as sugar cane trash, the agricultural residue is valuable fuel for power plants to generate green energy.” “Power plants can sustainably source material locally, farmers can earn additional income from selling the sugar cane straw and, above all, heavy air pollution caused by field burning can be avoided – it is a win-win situation for everyone”, explains Mr. Jan-Klaus Tobias, Managing Director of the CLAAS Regional Center South-East Asia. Sometime ago, Asia’s biggest sugar and bio-energy producer bought six CLAAS QUADRANT 4200 square baler as an attempt to realize the goals set by the “Stop Burning” national programme in Thailand. The CLAAS QUADRANT has proved to be particularly efficient and reliable, which is why word of the CLAAS QUADRANT had spread rapidly throughout the agricultural industry. Farmers and contractors saw the benefits and have since made use of the QUADRANT. This has made the CLAAS QUADRANT square baler the most popular choice for baling biomass in tough conditions all over Thailand.
Evolution of the CLAAS QUADRANT square baler In 1988, CLAAS introduced its first large square baler, the QUADRANT 1200, designed specifically for larger farms and contractors. It had a capacity of 30 tonnes of straw per hour,
CLAAS (www.claas-group.com) is a family business that was founded in 1913 and is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of agricultural engineering equipment. The company, with corporate headquar ters in Harsewinkel, Germany, is the European mar ket leader in combine har vester s. CLAAS is also the world leader in another large product group, self-propelled forage harvesters. CLAAS is also a top performer in wor ld-wide agricultural engineering with tractors, agricultural balers and green harvesting machinery. The CLAAS product portfolio also includes state-of-the-art farming information technology. CLAAS employs around 11,395 wor ker s wor ldwide and reported a turnover of 4.04 billion euros in the 2020 financial year.
Contact details: Kruewan Thongom Market Research and Marketing Manager CLAAS Regional Center South-East Asia Ltd. Tel: +66 2 726 9667, ext.115 Fax: +66 2 726 9669 www.claas.com (English), www.claas.co.th (Thai)
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14 INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE
The transition: Composing a smart farm Thailand Board of Investment (BOI)
The 20-year Agriculture and Cooperatives Strategies (2017-2036) defines Thailand’s vision for the future of smart farming in the kingdom. It defines three primary objectives for the initiative – giving farmers greater financial security, creating a more prosperous agriculture segment and emphasising sustainable agricultural resource management. The strategy, drawn up in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aims to increase the per capita income of Thai farmers to about US$ 13,000, a jump of 590 per cent, in 20 years. Reaching this goal in a sustainable way will require more productive farming, with assistance from new technology, to reform the Thai agricultural sector.
Collaboration towards achieving the vision Driven by the national policy, a steering committee under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) was created in 2018 to spearhead the development of smart farming. Key government organisations involved in the effort include the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) and Ministry of Commerce (MOC), which collaborate with corporate partners from various industries including Agri-food and ICT. The application of advanced technology is having a positive effect on the agriculture industry. MOC has built big data systems to support the trade of agricultural products and to assist farmers in making farming decisions, focusing initially on five major expor t crops, i.e., rice, palm oil, rubber, corn and tapioca. From the agricultural side, the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) and MOAC have developed a large farming database that links data on farmer registration, household registration and land rights. This Big Data will help policymakers and farmers to make the best farming decisions, improve crop zoning, and will be used to increase farmer participation in government support programmes. Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF), a Thai food production giant, applies smart technology in the development project, “Self-sufficient Farmers, Sustainable Maize” (Banlang Model), which is being implemented in small pilot areas growing animal feed corn. The project reportedly led
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to a yield increase of 32 per cent and a 37 per cent increase in farmers’ income in 2018. Total Access Communication (dtac), a large mobile phone service provider that has long been involved in rural community development, in the past few years has leveraged its digital expertise to become an active startup accelerator. In addition, through its 10 years of work on empowering farmers, the company has educated 20,000 farmers in agricultural marketing in partnership with MOAC, and is accelerating its programme of scaling up innovative agritech startups.
Technologies in action With the country’s position as a leading agricultural goods producer, supported by public funding and policy, and surrounded by innovative startups and research centres, the Thai agricultural sector is transitioning to a smarter future. The following are some of the many exciting emerging agricultural technologies currently adopted on Thai farms.
Drones for precision agriculture Drones are perhaps one of the most widely applied new technologies across various industries. In agriculture, Thai farmers have
INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURE 15
“ It is evident that Thai farmers are open to utilising modern farming technology and are finding that it increases productivity and efficiency. They have an increasing amount of smart farming knowledge, gained through thorough training and the influx of information.” become familiar with the flying vehicles during the past few years due to the fact that they are easy to use as well as affordable, even for smallholdings. Many farmers see drones mainly as labour-saving devices, deploying the equipment for seeding, precision fertigation and chemical spraying. Currently being used are both locally-made drones, such as Kaset Gen-Y, Novy and Bug Away Thailand, and imported drones, such as DJI from China and SenseFly from Switzerland. These devices have demonstrated that the application of drones can reduce farming costs, specifically fertiliser, chemical and labour costs. Monitoring and collecting data for far m planning and management to increase productivity and yields is a less widely deployed application of drones, due to requirements for advanced skills, extra data and higher cost. One of the pioneers working in this field is a Thai startup, SkyVIV. The company specializes in industrial drones and has extended its range to include agricultural drones by working with data exper ts and local large-scale farms. The startup is improving its crop yield analytics and expects that this will bring a new level of profitability to its clients’ farm businesses.
Smart greenhouses Thai farmers have started adopting smarter greenhouses equipped with advanced sensordriven automation systems. The National
Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), an agency under MHESI, recently developed the Handy SenseTMEC smart greenhouse system. This system can be applied not only by rural farmers, but also by city dwellers with limited farming space. Many local suppliers for greenhouses offer monitoring and control systems catering to all sizes of farms. Some, companies – for example, Speedy Access and Smart Farm DIY – also provide design and consultation ser vices to meet the specific needs of growers. Driven by the changing domestic and expor t food markets, demands for greenhouses are rising, creating market opportunities for providers of cost-effective, high-tech greenhouses.
Agriculture app Agritech software and app development is another flourishing area. There is a wide variety of digital agricultural assistant apps, ranging from a simple knowledge library app to complex precision farming support. For example, Ricult, a dtac accelerate star tup, makes use of Big Data and machine learning to give farmers the insights they need for improving productivity. At the same time, Ricult’s credit scoring algorithms identify farmers’ credit risk level, and as a result help banks’ decision-making on lending. In collaboration with dtac and Rak Ban Kerd Co.,
the startup moved forwards to develop the Farm Man Yum app. This app serves farmers with tailor-made information and advice for precision farming based on Big Data.
Artificial intelligence Large farm operators are assimilating smart farming by integrating Big Data, robots and artificial intelligence (AI). Mitr Phol, one of the world’s top producers of sugar, partners with NSTDA and IBM to pilot the use of AI, weather data and analytics in sugar cane farming. Another example is CPF, which par tners with Ser tis an AI and Big Data exper t, in developing a farm management system that increases CPF biosecurity.
Smart farming incentives for investors It is evident that Thai farmers are open to utilising modern farming technology and are finding that it increases productivity and efficiency. They have an increasing amount of smart farming knowledge, gained through thorough training and the influx of information. The technology adoption rate will be accelerated as technological devices allow greater returns on investment. The Office of the Board of Investment (BoI) promotes the transition of the agriculture sector to agriculture 4.0 by providing smart farming inc e ntive s to inte re s te d invest or s. Manufacturers of smar t farming products – such as detection or tracking systems, resources regulation systems and smar t greenhouse systems – as well as service providers that enable digitization of farming, are granted a five-year corporate income tax (CIT) exemption with no annual limit. Manufacturing of electronic control and measurement instruments or their parts for agricultural use receives an eight-year CIT exemption. BoI’s tax incentives and support from one-stop consultation services are helping businesses to succeed in planting the seeds of investment to the harvesting of their rewards in this resource-rich country. For fur ther details about privileges, conditionality and the application process, visit www.boi.go.th. Source: Thailand Investment Review (TIR), vol. 30, “Farmnovation Technologies in the Field”, January 2020, Available at https://www.boi.go.th/upload/content/ TIR7_Aw_Smart%20farming_5e5dc88fa8284.pdf
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16 INTERVIEW
Innovative solutions designed for Thai farmers
Praphan Chivaphongse, Vice-President, Innovation Department of Total Access Communication (dtac) Thai farmers are currently facing more challenges such as changes in landscape, climate, consumer behaviour and supply chains. They need valid information in decision-making. Information technology from the SMS mobile application to more advanced technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data and Machine Learning, therefore, plays a vital role in the development of the agricultural sector. In this issue, UPDATE interviews Mr. Praphan Chivaphongse, Vice-President, Innovation Department of Total Access Communication (dtac), on the company’s digital technology and innovation that provide solutions, both for small holder farmers and young farmers. Dtac star ted in 2008 with a call centre and SMS ser vices for a “smar t farmer” project in co-operation with the Department of Agricultural Extension and the Ruamduaychuaykan Sam Nuk Rak Ban Kerd Foundation. Recently dtac in par tnership with Yara, a Norwegian Fer tiliser company, developed a new mobile application, “Kaset Go”. This app combines Yara’s global crop nutrition and digital farming capabilities with
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dtac’s leading digital connectivity technologies in order to provide farmers with more comprehensive solutions. What is dtac’s role in supporting innovative agriculture as part of Thailand’s agriculture development plan/Bio-, Circular, Green Economic model? We are ready to support the government’s plan by providing technology for agriculture through our 700- MHZ mobile network and agricultural solution app that will extend farmers’ access to key knowledge, technology and innovation. Please share with us dtac’s success stories of the smart farmer projects in Thailand Our very first smart farming project, “Smart Farmer”, in co-operation with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Agricultural Extension (DOAE) and the Ruamduaychuaykan Sam Nuk Rak Ban Kerd Foundation, was aimed at educating farmers in various fields such as rice, cash crops, livestock and aquaculture, and was part of our corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. After its launch in 2008, we formed a call centre and provided SMS services free-of-charge that
contained useful information on agriculture to about 200,000 SMS subscribers. In 2013, the SMS service was replaced by a mobile application providing farmers with useful information on market prices, crops or even rice mortgages. About 2,000 video clips in the app were accessible to support the farmers in generating more income. Since 2008 we also had awarded ten farmers every year who had successfully applied technology or innovation, from about 300 farmer s nationwide with the aim of giving them moral support and promoting them as role models to inspire other farmers. As most of young farmers are familiar with social media such as Facebook and Line, or searching information via google, dtac co-operated with DOAE in 2016 in training smart farmers in online marketing, payment and logistics, among other useful topics. We successfully trained approximately 30,000 farmers and many of them found that their income increased by around 60%-70%. For example, a coconut farmer in Hat Yai was trained how to do business on Facebook. He later created his own brand with a special packaging promoted and marketed through Facebook, and finally got an offer from a
INTERVIEW 17
local department store to market his coconut products. Previously, he had just sold his commodity to middlemen. In 2017, dtac also joined hands with the National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) in implementing precision farming projects in 35 farms selected by DAE. NECTEC invented the sensor system using IoT technology via dtac’s Wi-Fi router and cloud service mobile application. The project empowered farmer s with information technology that provides real-time weather and pricing information via their smartphone application. Farmers can access agricultural data available 24 hours and manage their farms with their smar t phones such as watering plants. Farmers who practiced the precision farming method seriously were able to reduce their costs and increase productivity. For example, a melon farmer increased his productivity from 200 melons to 300 melons through this method. However, farmers need to record everything in detail as the system calculates from a huge database. Therefore, precision farming is more likely to be suitable for new-generation or young smart farmers who can select the proper technology for their own benefit. What other challenges exist for Thailand’s smart farming from dtac’s point of view? According to Thailand’s Depar tment of Agricultural Extension, in 2018 there were about 13 million people in the agricultural sector, out of 39 million people in the total labour force. However, farmers contribute only 10% to Thailand’s GDP, while the industrial sector and service sector contribute 45% equally. We can divide farmers into three groups. First, conventional farmers accounting for 10 million people who rely on their own local wisdom and traditional skills. This group have hardly adopted modern technology. The second group comprises professional farmers, totaling about 1 million, who are knowledgeable and willing to utilize new technology in order to create greater value and productivity. Third, young smart farmers who are 18-45 years old, totaling about 300,000 people who know in detail about IoT or cloud technology. As
the majority of farmers in Thailand are in the first group that lacks knowledge or access to essential knowledge, one of their key problems is that they are excluded from the value chain and their yields are low in contrast to their high costs. Our challenge is how to reach such farmers who are distributed all over Thailand. What is the need to develop the Kaset Go application and who are the partners in addition to Yara? At dtac we believe that technology can be an agent of change for Thailand’s agricultural sector, and that par tnership is the key to realising that dream. We met with Yara, which has been supporting the agricultural sector worldwide since 1904. The company has a
importance on content, and the strength of our app is the Q&A in the community. So far, we have about 16 experts, comprising retired experts, volunteers and agricultural research officers from DOAE, officers from NECTEC and experts from Yara, who can respond to all queries from farmers. Our app collects and sorts all Q&A once they are verified by these exper ts, which serves as a large database that farmers can re-access when needed. We also have a team that specialises in digesting complicated research data and transforming it into easy-to-understand formats such as infographics. Kaset Go can be downloaded into all mobile devices regardless of operators that are not dtac. Since its soft launch in August 2020, Kaset Go has recorded more than 300,000 downloads and now has almost 200,000 users.
“ Since 90% of farmers need assistance from agricultural experts, our digital solutions can be the answer.” history of almost five decades in Thailand, and it has a digital hub supporting agricultural development through the sharing of knowledge, and delivering quality products and solutions. Together with a penetration rate of mobile phone usage in Thailand now of 99%, dtac believes that the coverage of farmers can be fur ther expanded and we have transformed our CSR-based smar t farming into more commercially-based project with this app. In the process of developing Kaset Go, we re-sur veyed farmers. We found that the sur veyed farmers, especially smallholder farmers, were still lacking modern knowledge, access to markets and oppor tunities to generate higher income. Since 90% of farmers need assistance from agricultural experts, our digital solutions can be the answer. We would like to be the centre of knowledge where farmers can find all the information they need. We also aim to be a one-stop service that meets the needs of farmers as much as possible.
As the number of downloads and users is rising exponentially, dtac and Yara Thailand are already planning Kaset Go’s next phase of development, which will include information on 44 additionally crops and key new features such as weather warnings, disease alerts and market price benchmarking. To make it truly a farmers’ companion, dtac also plans to extend the services of the app to include other value-added services such as farm equipment for rent, insurance and finance. We are also open to new partners. Interview by Chadaphan Maliphan, GTCC Publications and Communications Manager
What are the main features of the Kaset Go app and its uniqueness? The Kaset Go app provides solutions for the Thailand’s agricultural segment. We place
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18 INTERVIEW
Bright future forecast for digital transformation of Thai agricultural sector
Dr. Teera Phatrapornnant, NECTEC Researcher, Intelligent Transportation System Network (ITSN) Research and Development, Research Team of Digital Agricultural Technology (DAT). Thailand’s agricultural sector is in the process of digital transformation, with the Thailand 4.0 strategy driving this shift and enabling government policies that support the advancement of farms with modern technologies, precision agriculture tools and data-driven smart farming solutions. The National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC) was established under the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) in 1986 to undertake, suppor t and promote Thailand’s research and development of electronics and computer technologies. One of its five industrial targets is to develop a smart farming technology and system to increase efficiency of the digital food chain such as: agricultural zoning management; mobile application for agriculture and registration of farmers; IT to support precision farming via a prediction, warning and communication system; and a plant disease/contamination diagnostic system. UPDATE interviewed Dr. Teera Phatrapornnant, NECTEC Researcher, Intelligent Transportation System Network (ITSN) Research and Development, Research Team of Digital Agricultural Technology (DAT). He was formerly Head of the Machine Vision Laboratory (MVL) at the NECTEC Advanced Automation and Electronics Research Unit (AAERU). Since when and why has Thailand adopted digital agriculture technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in the agriculture sector? NECTEC has brought digital technology to agricultural sector for more than 10 years. Digital technology enable us to digitise data while AI assists us to diagnose and analyse huge amounts of agriculture-related data necessary for decision-making as well as they replace manpower in some areas where it is lacking, such as experts in rice disease. If we can collect sufficient data
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for training a machine and then build automated system, there will be good decision-making support. Digital technology used in “Precision Farming” is a combination of various technologies, such as information technology, embedded systems, machine vision, photonics, wireless sensor network, to understand and manage the crop conditions in order to increase yield and quality. Precision farming practice can save cost and environment, for example, with conditions of soil and crop surveys, fertilisers and pesticides are applied in the right amount and time to ensure maximum efficiency. Data mining in agriculture are impor tant to farmers in order for them properly plan the management of their production areas. NECTEC has developed a decision support system, called Agri-Map, for Ministr y of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) in order to analyse huge amounts of agricultural and related data, with almost 200 layers collected from all over Thailand, which suppor ts plantation zoning that shows whether an area’s conditions are suitable for selected plants.
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What is the background of the Digital Agricultural Technology research team and its role in developing innovative agriculture to achieve the results of the BCG model? Actually, there are many laboratories and teams in NECTEC involved in the development of innovative agriculture, including another national centres in NSTDA. The developed smart farming prototypes will be disseminated to farmers or private sector in many methods, e.g. licensing. NSTDA set up the Agricultural Technology and Innovation Management Institute (AGRITEC) in 2016 to act as a one-stop service centre that provides technologies and innovations to suppor t Thailand’s agricultural sector. Our research team has experience for more than 10 years and mainly covers the area of digital agricultural technology for crops and aquaculture. The objective is to increase crop productivity by using automatic sensing and control systems, e.g. for plant watering, paddle wheel spinning, fer tilizing or environment controlling such as greenhouse farming. Often, we work across labs or outside our centre for setup multidisciplinary team in order to provide efficient solutions for farming production. Our alliances include BIOTEC, MTEC, NANMOTEC, universities, governmental organization, e.g. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC), companies from private sector, oversea research centres and the farmers themselves. To support the BCG economy, for example, improving cassava yield, developing new rice varieties, we provide digital technology for achieving the best possible productivity. In what areas is digital agriculture technology used today? Digital technology can be adopted for various plant and animal farms in many areas in Thailand. For example, a photonic biosensing platform for aquaculture has been developed, for monitoring bacteria growth in shrimp pond, and used by 15 farms in Eastern of Thailand last year. We have implemented IoT smar t farming projects in about 30 farms in co-operation with Total Access Communication (dtac) and 65 farms in co-operation with Chachoengsao province. Our successful watering system is also being piloted in some ASEAN countries such as Brunei and Myanmar.
“Precision farming in Thailand is projected to grow about 10% in the next five years. Most areas of growth would be the simple precision farming system, such as using a plant watering controller.”
What are the supportive factors for the widespread adoption of digital agricultural technology in Thailand? It starts with IT literacy of farmers and their opportunity to use digital technology. Older generation or traditional farmers have their own collective wisdom for farming and do not want to adopt modern knowledge, even though MOAC demonstrates several types of smar t farming technology through its learning centre. The second supportive factor is the availability of digital communication infrastructure such as LoRaWAN, long range wide area network, 4G/5G network, high-speed network that supports Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud, Big Data storage and so forth. Is digital farming costly? How much budget should farmers have on average? Actually, it depends on a farmer’s business model how he can take the benefit from the advanced tools for making a profit. It would cost about 40,000 baht to establish a conventional greenhouse, or, with an additional IoT controller, between 10,000 and 200,000 baht for a more conditioncontrolled greenhouse. It can be seen that smart farming is costly. That’s why we initiate
an Open Innovation project to let the farmers can touch an opensource smar t far ming technology and cut off some investment costs. Farmers can get our starter packages and making a smart farming tool by themselves. In the first step, we provide the HandySense, an IoT plant watering system. Anyone can download its blueprint and software for free. What will be the trend of Thailand’s precision agricultural market in the next five years? Precision farming in Thailand is projected to grow about 10% in the next five years. Most areas of growth would be the simple precision farming system, such as using a plant watering controller. Driverless vehicles are too early to adopt in Thailand as the majority of farmers are smallholders; advanced machinery will be mostly adopted by large agricultural companies while machine rental is cheaper for individual farmers. Drones that are mostly used in pesticide spraying will become more affordable and local companies can produce their own drone by adapting Chinese drone technology. Interview by Chadaphan Maliphan, GTCC Publications and Communications Manager
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20 CHAMBER ACTIVITIES From 26 January to 25 March 2021 the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce (GTCC) organised/co-organised six physical events and five virtual events.
1. Physical events
GTCC site visit to Bader Asia GTCC members visited Bader Asia, the “hidden champion” in producing automotive leather for the global car industry, on 19 February 2021. Bader Asia is a member of the South German Bader Group, one of the largest producers of automotive leather interiors worldwide. It has been operating in Thailand since 1994. It was a good opportunity to explore the company’s production lines and process, which employ state-of-the-art equipment in combination with highly-skilled employees to produce high-end leather products. The chamber is grateful to Chief Executive Officer of Bader Asia, Mr. Thomas Ferentzi, and his team for the great support and very warm welcome.
GTCC connects: Welcome New Year 2021
GTCC’s first networking event of 2021, GTCC connects was amazingly successful with the par ticipation of about 180 guests who are GTCC Members, par tners and friends. The event was held on 11 March 2021 at Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel Bangkok and started with welcoming remarks by GTCC Vice President Mr. Michael Welser. The chamber appreciates the generous suppor t from the Event Par tner, Mazars in Thailand, the Venue Par tner, Sindhorn Kempinski Hotel Bangkok, and the Beverage Partner, Supreme Beverages Asia.
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CHAMBER ACTIVITIES 21
Thailand Economic Outlook 2021 GTCC organised the eight Thailand Economic Outlook Luncheon on 23 February 2021 at the Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit. The luncheon attracted about 100 guests from a variety of industrial sectors. They were asked to participate in a live survey that was a shorter version of the AHK World Business Outlook survey conducted in October 2020 among the members of the network of German Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHKs). Former GTCC President, Mr. Andreas Richter, delivered welcoming remarks and presented the results of the AHK World Business Outlook conducted in October 2020. AHK member companies viewed 2020 as the worst year since the early 1990s recession in terms of business situation, expectations, investments and employment. The survey results also show that the most significant effects of the pandemic on the companies are travel restrictions (75%), followed by lower demand for products and services (53%), cancellation of events/trade fairs (51%) and postponement/ cancellation of investments (49%). Mr. Wirat Uanarumit, Vice-Chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), who is also Chief Executive Officer and President of Thai Oil Public Company Limited delivered a keynote speech on “the current situation of Thailand’s economy and its prospects and challenges amidst fundamental changes in the global economy and uncertainties in the post-covid era”. Following 2020, which was a year of unprecedented disruptions resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, shifts in the geo-political landscape such as the continuing China-United States trade war, the election of a new United States president, Brexit and the Covid-19 vaccine discovery, the global economic outlook in 2021 appears to be a rocky road to recovery. This year had a rough
start with renewed waves and new variants of Covid-19, continuation of massive economic stimulus and low interest rates globally, and hopes of wide distribution of the Covid-19 vaccines to limit infections. Amid exceptional uncertainty, the global economy is projected to grow 5.5 % in 2021 and 4.2 % in 2022. With regard to Thailand’s economic outlook, Mr. Wirat Uanarumit focused on major factors that are seriously affecting Thailand’s economy, such as the decrease in the number of inbound tourists – especially from China – that have had severe adverse effects on the tourism sector, exports and Thailand’s public debt. Thailand also had a number of structural issues, he added, with a projection of 2.5% to 3.5% growth in 2021 after the contraction of 6.1% last year. The panel discussion on the challenges ahead for 2021 was moderated by Ms. Thira Nuntametha, Senior Representative ,
Commerzbank AG Representative Office Bangkok. The panelists included: Mr. Roland Folger, President and CEO, Mercedes-Benz (Thailand) Limited, for the automotive sector; Mr. Tomasz Mazur, CEO, Siemens Mobility Limited Thailand for mobility; Mr. Bjorn Schoon, Managing Director, Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar, Kuehne + Nagel Limited, for logistics; and Mr. Papong Pramoj Na Ayudhya, Managing Director, BayWa r.e. (Thailand) Co., Ltd., for the topic of energy. Moderator Ms. Thira star ted the panel discussion with the results of the live survey on companies’ business situations in 2021, which was conducted at the luncheon. The results showed that 53% of the surveyed participants were satisfied with the current business situation of their company, 50% believed that the economy would start to recover in 2022, while 40% thought economic recover y would take much longer. The panelists also formed a consensus that despite facing the key challenge of Covid-19 they were confident in the future of their respective industries in Thailand, which would come back strongly when the overall situation improves from 2022 onwards. During the Covid-19 crisis, they are operating their businesses with caution, and have implemented safety measures and var ious business strategies, including increased adoption of digitalization.
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22 CHAMBER ACTIVITIES
GTCC Young Professionals Network Evening on “E-mobility in Bangkok’s urban canal system” GTCC held the first GTCC Young Professional Network Evening of 2021 on 18 March 2021 which was a success, with the participation of about 80 guests. The chamber would like to express its sincere gratitude to Mr. Marcus Magiar, President and Managing Director of Torqeedo Asia Pacific Ltd., for sharing insightful information and his experiences in E-mobility in Bangkok’s urban canal system. This includes Thailand’s first electric passenger ferry fleet powered by Torqeedo and the potential of electric ferries for a greener future of Thailand. The chamber also would like to thank GTCC Board Member Khun Waranya Pratumtin for the warm support as master of ceremonies. In addition, special thanks to Venue Partner, 64 Restaurant, for supporting the event with a very nice venue and good food and drinks.
GTCC site visit to Continental Tyres (Thailand) Thirty-seven GTCC members gained valuable experience and insights into the world of quality tyre production during a chamber site visit to Continental Tyres (Thailand) Co., Ltd., on 19 March 2021. They explored the company’s world-class tyre manufacturing facilities and processes. Continental, which is one of the world’s technology leaders in tyre production, offers a broad product range for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and two-wheelers. GTCC team would like to express our deep gratitude goes to Mr. Vignesh Devasenapathy, Plant Manager of Continental Tyres (Thailand) and his team for the warm welcome and the great oppor tunity they gave to the visiting group.
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CHAMBER ACTIVITIES 23
GTCC Ordinary General Meeting 2021
The GTCC held its Ordinary General Meeting 2021 on 25 March at the Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit, with the participation of 105 representatives of GTCC member companies. The GTCC was honoured to welcome German Ambassador to Thailand, H.E. Georg Schmidt as well as keynote speaker Mr. Elges who is Country Director for Thailand and Malaysia at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, who gave a presentation on “For a future worth living”.
The nine newly elected Board Members for 2021/2022 are • Mr. Markus Lorenzini, President and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Energy Limited; • Ms. Waranya Pratumtin, Sales and Marketing Manager of Thai Switchboard and Metal Work Co., Ltd.; • Mr. Andreas C. Richter, Managing Partner of Blumenthal Richter & Sumet Ltd.; • Mr. Peter Rankl, President ASEAN, Continental Automotive Bangkok Co., Ltd.; • Mr. Volker Hellstern, Managing Director of Häfele (Thailand) Limited; • Mr. Alexander Donau, Regional Head Asia Pacific and Director of the Board for Leschaco (Thailand) Ltd.; • Mr. Michael Welser, Managing Director of Powertech 2004 Co., Ltd.; • Mr. Marcus Grundke, Managing Director of Rieckermann (Thailand) Co., Ltd.; • Mr. Oliver Schnatz, Cluster General Manager, Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit.
The election of the new GTCC President, Vice-President and Board Members was conducted successfully. The chamber congratulates Mr. Markus Lorenzini, President and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Energy Limited, on his election as the GTCC President and Ms. Waranya Pratumtin, Sales and Marketing Manager of Thai Switchboard and Metal Work Co., Ltd., on her election as the GTCC Vice President.
The GTCC wishes to express its sincere gratitude to out-going Directors Ms. Heidi KleineMöller, General Manager of Millennium Hilton Bangkok; Mr. Marcus Magiar, President and Managing Director of Torqeedo Asia Pacific Ltd.; Mr. Papong Pramoj Na Ayudhya, Managing Director of BayWa r.e. (Thailand) Co., Ltd.; and Dr. Armin Wiesler, General Manager / Head of Human Pharma of Boehringer Ingelheim (Thai) for their strong commitment and consistent contribution to the success of the Chamber.
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24 CHAMBER ACTIVITIES
2. Virtual events
GTCC webinar on “Green Energy” GTCC’s first webinar of 2021 took place on 26 Januar y 2021 which discussed “Green energy at no cost and savings for commercial and industrial customers: The corporate PPA market in Thailand”. The chamber would like to thank Mr. Franck Constant, CEO, and Mr. Markus Ganterer, CFO of Constant Energy, for sharing their informative and useful insights.
GTCC webinar with C&E Coaching On 9 February 2021, GTCC organised a webinar that presented current and future contexts for business leaders under the topic of “sharpening your leadership skills in challenging times – a snapshot and food for thought, discussed by Executive Coach of C&E Coaching Mr. Gregor Schmalz. With thought-provoking content and engaging Q&A, the webinar was very well-received by the participants. T h a n k s g o t o “ t h e s p e a ke r for sharing his exper tise and experience, and GTCC members for participating.
GTCC webinar on “ASEAN Today and Tomorrow” GTCC Executive Director, Dr. Roland Wein, together with other Executive Directors of the German Chambers in ASEAN, discussed the direction of ASEAN and its meaning to companies operating in the region, at a webinar on “ASEAN Today and Tomorrow” on 28 February 2020. They further presented the current state of their respective countries and the outlook for 2021 in the country briefing session which was moderated by Dr. Wein. The webinar was jointly organised by GTCC and the Singaporean-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (SGC).
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CHAMBER ACTIVITIES 25
Fact-finding Mission Thailand 2021 On 9 March 2021, GTCC took part in the kick-off event of the virtual Fact-finding Mission Thailand on “sustainable energy generation and infrastructure in cities” organised by eclareon GmbH. A total of 23 participants from Thailand were joining the project within the framework of the German Energy Solutions Initiative supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). The virtual mission ran until 11 March 2021.
Thai-German virtual conference “Biogas (including biogas upgrading)” GTCC organised a Thai-German virtual conference on “Biogas (including Biogas upgrading)” on 16 March 2021, in co-operation with eclareon GmbH, to discuss state-of-the-art technology solutions for biogas and biogas upgrading. The conference began with welcoming remarks by GTCC Executive Director Dr. Roland Wein, and Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the German Embassy Bangkok’s Dr. Alexander Raubold. The keynote presentation on the Future of biogas development in Thailand” was delivered by Assistant Secretary-General of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), Dr. Prasit Siritiprussamee. Guest speakers were Dr. Athapol Pecharaply, Assistant Vice Presidentof CPF (Thailand) PLC., Dr. Jan Adolph, Biogas Exper t at DABEC – Bioenergy Consulting and Mr. Sebastian Ulm, Consultant at eclareon GmbH. Exclusive presentations on products and technology solutions were given by representatives from eight German companies in the field of biogas: Agraferm GmbH; agriKomp GmbH; APROVIS Energy Systems GmbH; Biogas Hochreiter GmbH; Carbotech Gas Systems GmbH; HeGo Biotec GmbH; Paulmichl GmbH; and Snow Leopard Projects GmbH. The conference was followed by a series of online business matchmakings between the participating German companies and qualified business partners in Thailand.
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26 GTDEE INSIGHT
Webinar on Mechatronics Development under the five-year co-certification programme between German Vocational Education system and TPQI par ticipants from GTCC and the TPQI. GTDEE Project Director and Integrated Expert supported by the Programme Business Scouts for Development of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), placed by CIM (Centre for International Migration and Development) Mr. Markus Hoffmann and GTDEE Senior Manager Dr. Kamonsak Suradom were the moderators of this webinar. Mr. Hoffmann shared his knowledge of the Mechatronics Project-Based Learning five-year programme for A-Level) with the par ticipants. Dr. Kitcha, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, RMUTL shared his knowledge and competencies at the workshop of pre-Engineering School and Por-wor-sor level.
On 20 January 2021, GTCC hosted a webinar on mechatronics development for the five-year project-based German Vocational Education system programme which will be co-cer tified by GTCC and Thailand Professional Qualification Institute (PublicOrganisation) or TPQI. Dr. Noppadol Piyatrapoomi, Director of TPQI gave welcoming remarks to the
The highlights of the discussion included: • The development of qualified mechatronics technicians in the GTDEE programme; • Apprenticeship programme collaboration between GTDEE, colleges and companiesin the mechatronics, electronics and mechanics professions; • Co-certification between GTCC and Thailand Professional Qualification Institution (TPQI) in the mechatronics profession.
Online workshops on basic communication in English with Bosch apprentices Batch 2019 On 17 and 24 January 2021, GTDEE team represented by Mr. Markus Hoffmann and Dr. Kamonsak Suradom organised two online workshops on basic communication in English with Bosch Apprentices Batch 2019. The apprentices learnt about reading, speaking and listening in English.
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GTDEE INSIGHT 27
Webinar to discuss GTCC and TPQI co-operation in implementing the Electronics Standard in Thailand On 5 Februar y 2021, the GTDEE team discussed co-operation with the management team of TPQI the implementation of the Electronics Standard in Thailand in meeting the professional qualification of Level 5-6. The plan is to match it with the German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) curriculum.
BMW service apprentice scholarship ceremony 2021 On 15 February 2021, GTDEE represented by Mr. Markus Hoffmann and Dr. Kamonsak Suradom participated in the BMW Service Apprentice Scholarship Ceremony for the BMW apprentices batch 2019 under GTDEE programme in automotive mechatronics. The scholarship was handed over by Senior Technology Tr aining Manager of BMW Group (Thailand) Co., Ltd. , Mr. Natthapong Lorpisanchai and Mr. Kriskorn Kraichinda. The event was held at Don Bosco Technological College Bangkok.
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28 GTDEE INSIGHT
Pre-selection of Bosch Mechatronics Apprentices Batch 2021 On 17 February 2021, GTDEE team and Ms. Wikran Wongpukdee, Human Resources Development Manager of Rober t Bosch Automotive Technologies (Thailand) Co., Ltd., organised Pre-selection of the mechatronics apprentices Batch 2021 which attracted 40 applicants attending the event. The pre-selection was held at Thai Austrian Technical College, Chon Buri.
Implementing Mechatronics Books for Education Institute cooperate with KMUTNB On 18 Febr uar y 2021, GTDEE team represented by Mr. Markus Hoffmann and Dr. Kamonsak Suradom par ticipated in a meeting with Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Suchar t Siengchin, President of King Mongkut’s University of Technology Nor th Bangkok (KMUTNB) and the management team to discuss mechatronics profession development to German standard which will be launched by the German Embassy in Bangkok soon.
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GTDEE INSIGHT 29
BMW Service Apprentice Programme and GTDEE programme introduction and pre-selection In February and March 2021,the GTDEE team together with BMW Group (Thailand) Training Center introduced the BMW Service Apprentice Programme and GTDEE programme to students at the Pre-selection of apprentice Batch 2021 in automotive mechatronics. The pre-selection was conducted by GTDEE Team and Many students attended the event: • On 19 February 2021 at Eastern Technological College (E.Tech), 30 students; • On 22 February 2021 at Don Bosco Technological College Bangkok, 9 students; • On 3 March 2021 at Bang Kaeo Fa Vocational College, 23 students; • On 4 March 2021 at Chitralada Vocational College, 7 students.
AdA International – Train the Trainer at KMUTNB On 5 March 2021, the GTDEE team organised the “AdA International – Train the Trainer” (Ausbildung der Ausbilder – AdA) for practical teachers, which is being held from March 2021 to June 2021 at King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok (KMUTNB). The 13 par ticipants are representatives of the Thai-German Pre-engineering School.
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30 GTDEE INSIGHT
Interim Examination preparation for Mercedes-Benz apprentices Batch 2019 From 10 to 12 March 2021, the GTDEE team organised preparations for the PAL Interim Examination in automotive mechatronics (practical part) for MercedesBenz apprentices Batch 2019 (German dual vocational education and training abroad) at the Mercedes-Benz Competence Centre, Bangna-Trad Road, km 19.
Interim Examination for Mercedes Benz Apprentices Batch 2019 The GTDEE team conducted the PAL Final Examination Par t 1 for Mercedes-Benz Apprentices Batch 2019 in Automotive Mechatronics ) which consisted of theoretical and practical parts from 17 to 18, 22 to 24 and 29 to 31 March 2021. The theoretical part was provided in the morning session for 74 apprentices from Don Bosco Technological College Bangkok, Don Bosco Technological College Ban Pong, Eastern Technological College (E.Tech) and Samut Prakan Technical College. It was followed by the practical part until 31 March 2021. The examination was held at the Mercedes-Benz Competence Centre Bangna-Trad Km. 19. (MBCC).
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32 BUSINESS BRIEFS
Häfele Thailand celebrates the grand opening of its distribution centre extension and holds DGNB certificate ceremony to Thailand as a special guest to hand over the DNGB award to Mr. Volker Hellstern, Managing Director of Häfele Thailand. Among the guests of honour were Dr. Rober t Himmler, Managing Director of EGS-plan Bangkok/DGNB Auditor and Mr. Marius Mehner, GTCC Deputy Executive Director.
Häfele Thailand celebrated the grand opening of its distribution centre’s warehouse extension at Bangna-Trad km22 and held the handover ceremony of the DGNB Award in Silver for the extension project on 17 February 2021. The event welcomed H. E. Mr. Georg Schmidt, the German Ambassador
With a focus on efficiency in order to more significantly enhance ser vice levels and accuracy, the area of the distribution centre in Bangna has been increased from 10,000 m2 to 24,000 m2. During the construction phase, the warehouse systems was adjusted and develop in order to support further significant process enhancement by following German standards. Currently, about 25,000 products
are stocked and readily available in Thailand alone. The extension features environmentfriendly structures, like a solar roof, improved insulation and a well-lit work environment. The DGNB cer tification system offers a planning and optimisation tool for evaluating sustainable buildings and urban districts. Developed to enhance the tangible sustainability of construction projects, it is based on the concept of holistic sustaiability, placing equal emphasis on theenvironment,people and commercial viability. It is used worldwide and is considered the most advanced system of its kind. Häfele Design Centre in Phuket received this award before in 2013, which was the first DNGB Award in Thailand.
Asia Pacific Energy leaders identify seven key trends for a sustainable energy future Regional and global business leaders, policy makers and government representatives throughout the energy sector convened at the Asia Pacific Energy Week to discuss regional challenges and opportunities. Themed “Shaping the Energy of Tomorrow”, the 2-day vir tual event held from March 9 to 10, 2021 saw more than 2,500 participants actively engage in the discussions, opinion polls and questions. The primary objective focused on fostering an ecosystem of collaboration and co-creation between stakeholders to help meet the world’s sustainability goals, boost economic growth, create new jobs and industries, improve human welfare and attain carbon neutrality by 2050. Over the two days, the thought leaders in diverse panel sessions deliberated and arrived at 7 key trends for a successful transition towards a sustainable energy future. 1. Access to reliable, affordable and sustainable energy supply is a necessity for economic growth 2. Ramp up the contribution of renewable energy for long-term sustainability 3. Utilise technology for efficient and cleaner use of energy 4. Embrace emerging and cleaner energy resources like Green Hydrogen 5. Digitalisation and AI-driven technologies will form the core of a future-proof and efficient transmission system 6. Access to sustainable, competitive capital will accelerate the energy transformation journey
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7. Collaboration among stakeholders is imperative for the transformation of the energy landscape Read more: https://press.siemens-energy.com/ global/en/pressrelease/asia-pacific-energyleaders-identify-seven-key-trends-sustainableenergy-future
BUSINESS BRIEFS 33
MoU signing on anti-Covid-19 “Upscaling Sanitizer Production in Thailand and Promoting Hand Hygiene” project
Dr. Kittinan Anakamanee MD., CEO of the Healthcare Accreditation Institute of Thailand (HAI), (public organization), Mr. Reinhold Elges, Director, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Thailand and Mr. Sayan Roy, Managing Director of B. Braun (Thailand) Ltd. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the implementation of the project “Upscaling Sanitizer Production in Thailand and Promoting Hand Hygiene” in response to the Covid-19 situation in Thailand. The MoU is under the develoPPE.de Covid-19 Response programme. The MoU signing ceremony was witnessed by Mr. Jan Scheer, Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Economic Affairs, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Thailand.
The collaboration of the three MoU partners is aimed at improving Covid-19 prevention through investment in increasing additional capacity of SOFTA-GEL alcohol hand sanitizer, which has been tested for global standards EN 14476 efficacy against enveloped viruses including the coronavirus, EN 1500 with World Health Organization (WHO) recommedation and EN 1276 with Department of Medical Sciences recommendation. The alcohol hand rub will be given to health-care personnel at 55 selected health-care facilities in high-risk zones as well as low-income farmer groups in rural farming communities in Thailand. In addition, the project will develop e-learning modules for communities and health-care personnel to update knowledge of hand hygiene and self-protection. This affirms B. Braun’s continued commitment to the vision “to protect and improve the health of people around the world” to get through this pandemic situation together.
Rohde & Schwarz Asia-Pacific Technology Symposium goes virtual Rohde & Schwarz held its flagship Asia-Pacific Technology Symposium on 16 and17 March 2021. This year the event offered an immersive vir tual experience like no other. It brought the par ticipants to the vir tual floors of a digitized Rohde & Schwarz headquarters where demo booths were set up that showcased solutions from Rohde & Schwarz and the partners.
par ticipants in those cities combined. Its multi-tracked feature continued to attract design engineers, test engineers, mobile operators, network infrastructures, regulators, equipment manufacturers, device manufacturers and many others, and now – more relevant than ever – has reached out to even more engineers in the region and beyond.
On the virtual stage, four tracks were presented – High-Speed System Design Journey, Testing Next Gen Devices, 5G Mobile Networ k Testing as well as Riding the Wave of Power Evolution – to accommodate different target audiences across market segments during the two-day event. Engaging panel discussions were held for each track, where key industry players such as IEEE, Mediatek, Ericsson, Dassault Systèmes, Clear Signal Solutions and PE-Systems also shared their insights and perspectives. Since 2017, the Technology Symposium has been held twice in Singapore and once in Bangkok, attracting almost 1,000
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34 MEMBERS’ CORNER
New GTCC members up to 31 March 2021
German-Thai Chamber of Commerce warmly welcomes 14 new members
Bold One Co., Ltd.
NextStep Business Broker Co., Ltd.
Mr. Guido Campigotto General Manager F&B Khun Karran Chaengchenkit F&B Business Development Manager guido.c@siamwinery.com Manufacture of wine from grape | Manufacture of cider and other fruit wines | Food and beverage service activities
Mr. Adrian Loretz Managing Director Khun Tapanan Kornkaeo VP Business Development Thailand www.nextstep-asia.com Other professional, scientific and technical activities
Botek Präzisionsbohrtechnik GmbH Representative Office Thailand
P3 group (Thailand) Limited
Mr. Oliver Lamm Manager of Representative Office Mr. Sabine Schur Managing Director info@botek.de https://www.botek.de Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment
Mr. Bjoern Voss Managing Director www.p3-group.com Computer programming, consultancy and related activities | Management consultancy activities | Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis
Flownation Co., Ltd
Rhenus Project Logistics Co., Ltd.
Mr. Gunnar Sjobeck Managing Director Khun Krisna Thiengtham Country Manager www.flow-nation.com Operation of sports facilities
Mr. Juergen Kohnen Managing Director Rhenus Project Logistics Thailand Khun Wararat Duangpasook Director Operations https://www.rhenusproject.com/en/ Land transport and transport via pipelines | Sea and coastal freight water transport | Air transport
Industrie- und Handelskammer Trier
Mr. Roland Schellenberger
Mr. Jan Heidemanns service@ihk.trier.de www.ihk-trier.de Activities of membership organisations
Managing Director at Thai-Ger Supplies Co., Ltd roland@thaigersupplies.com
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Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel & Towers
Mr. Sven Korf
Mr. Michael Schlueter General Manager Khun Hatairat Chungsatiansap Assistant Director of Sales and Marketing royalorchid@sheraton.com www.royalorchidsheraton.com Hotels and similar accommodation | Food and beverage service activities
Independent industrial consultant contact@sven-korf.de
SSBL Group
Voith Hydro Holding GmbH & Co. KG
Mr. Tim Alexander Ramon Managing Director admin@satelliteship.com www.satelliteship.com Agents involved in the sale of food, beverages and tobacco | Sea and coastal freight water transport | Warehousing and support activities for transportation
Mr. Regis Simon EVP Sales and Marketing South East Asia - Oceania Ms. Kathrin Roeck Global Business Partner Hydro www.voith.com/hydro Manufacture of electrical equipment | Manufacture of electrical equipment
Supreme Beverage Asia Co., Ltd.
Zeavola Resort
Mr. Romeo Ramos de Moreira Managing Director info@supreme-beverages.asia https://supreme-beverages.asia/ Wholesale of beverages | Retail sale of beverages in specialised stores
Mr. Florian Hallermann General Manager Khun Ratchanee Saengvichein Director of Sales reservation@zeavola.com www.zeavola.com Accommodation | Food and beverage service activities
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36 TRADE FAIRS
Interzoo digital Experience the global pet industry online 1-4 June 2021
Interzoo organizer WZF (Wir tschaftsgemeinschaft Zoologischer Fachbetriebe GmbH) is inviting the international pet industry to “Interzoo.digital”. Due to the travel restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the world’s leading trade fair for the international pet supplies market is taking place exclusively on the Internet. This innovative format, developed by WZF, offers exhibitors new services for presenting the company and its products impressively worldwide and to make it possible for trade attendees to experience them. In these times of physical distancing, the new platform will make it possible to maintain customer contacts, look for new business and discuss current trends in the sector. According to WZF, one of the important advantages for those who attend a leading international trade fair is coming together with business partners from around the world as the prerequisite for maintaining business relationships and for networking. This essential valueadded will be enabled in a very special form at the upcoming “Interzoo. digital”, because all trade fair attendees, without exceptions, will be able to network efficiently via the online platform. Features such as the contact management details included in all user profiles and the “Match-Making function” will ensure this, so registered users will be able to view their relationship network, administer trade fair contacts and enquiries, and make new contacts. The special offers provided by “Interzoo.digital” also include expanded exhibitor profiles in which companies can present their services and products online with the help of images, videos and documents. In addition, it will be possible to display products on a separate product details page with fur ther information and targeted contacts. Companies will also be able to set up a showroom or topic and trend-oriented virtual café; if required, exclusive VIP rooms for selected business partners will also be available. In the entrance area of the online platform trade visitors will
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be able to go with one click straight to a directory of exhibitors, the virtual topic and exhibitor cafés, the networking area or the supporting programme of “Interzoo.digital”, which will be offered as a live stream or video. It will be possible to find targeted exhibitors and products using the search function integrated in the lobby. In addition, users will have the possibility to save preferred companies and products as favourites, get in touch with contacts directly via chat or video calls and organise fair appointments in their online diary. For more details, please visit interzoo.com, the official website of Interzoo.
TRADE FAIRS 37
DMEA 2021: One week full of digital health 7-11 June 2021, Berlin
DMEA, Europe’s leading event for health IT, attracts decision-makers from every area of the health-care sector – including IT specialists, physicians, hospital and nursing care executives as well as experts from politics, science and research. In 2019 a total of around 11,000 trade visitors visited DMEA to find out about the sector’s latest developments and products, acquire qualifications and establish important industry contacts. This year, Messe Berlin and the German Association of Health IT Vendors (bvitg) are holding DMEA – Connecting Digital Health as an entirely vir tual event from 7 to 11 June. This is due to the continuing uncer tainty of the situation regarding the coronavirus pandemic. The decision for an entirely virtual
format was taken in co-ordination with the major industry partners and the event partners – the German Association for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology (GMDS), the German Medical Informatics Professional Association (BVMI), the National Association of Hospital IT Managers (KH-IT) and the Chief Information Officers of University Hospitals (CIO-UK). DMEA 2021 will be offering trade visitors a comprehensive programme again that combines the key elements of a congress and advanced training and networking events in all facets of digital health care. Some programme topics will be available at the Pre-DMEA week. DMEA will start on 25 May, with visitors being able to access digital guided tours with innovative companies that present their products, projects and services on selected highlights (on demand) as well as practice-oriented webinars that provide detailed input on current topics. On 27 May, a whole day will be devoted to health IT newcomers including students and young professionals (stream). Taking place from 7 to 11 June, DMEA will feature a programme of outstanding keynote speeches, panel discussions and lectures by experts from the political, science and industry sectors.
Be there at the event for the digitalization of the health-care system! More information about DMEA can be found at https://www. dmea.de/en/ or by contacting the GermanThai Chamber of Commerce’s official representative for Messe Berlin GmbH in Thailand, Ms. Patamaporn Wasuwat, by telephone at +66 2 055 0641 or by e-mail at berlin@gtcc.org.
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38 TRADE FAIRS
Insights-X 2021: Trade fair for paper, office supplies and stationery 7-9 October 2021
The “Exhibitors and Products” section on the website at www.insights-x.com/en/onlinecatalogue provides a year-round compact overview of manufacturers and brands. Suppliers who appeared at Insights-X Online can update their entries in the online catalogue and inform international buyers and retailers about their latest products on a regular basis. Using the search functions and various filters, retailers looking for new ideas to jazz up their ranges can locate innovations and products, both quickly and easily. In addition, the company listings provide all details of various contacts within the firms.
When it opens its doors from 7 to 9 October – the perfect time for placing orders – Insights-X will be a great oppor tunity for the stationery sector to discover the latest innovations, find inspiration for exciting product ranges, and forge new business contacts. Taking place this autumn at Nuremberg’s Exhibition Centre, the trade expo has received bookings from a whole host of revered companies. Colibri System, HäfftVerlag and Heinrich Sieber & Co. with its brand Fabrizio World of Bags will stand shoulder to shoulder with companies such as Keskin Color Kar tpostalcilik, Lizzy Card, Pyramid Europe and Stylex Schreibwaren. Until this sixth edition launches, organiser Spielwarenmesse eG will keep both trade and industry up to speed with a variety of digital information services.
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The news section at www.insights-x.com/en/news likewise contains a wealth of relevant information. The team behind the expo supplies the stationery industry with a weekly news update. It reports on current market developments, gives practical tips both for exhibitors and the point of sale, and talks to trade and industry experts about industry-wide trends and developments. Exhibitors and trade visitors can also keep their fingers on the pulse by reading the Insights-X monthly newsletters.They provide participants with a compact overview of useful content about services, current reports from the news section and new features at the trade fair. For more details, please contact Mr. Nupat Khusribanchong, the official German-Thai Chamber of Commerce representative for Insights-X in Thailand, by telephone at +66 2 055 0643 or by e-mail at nuernberg@gtcc.org.
