ConFEREnCE REpoRT
AgChem Asia 2007
Conference report
25-26th June 2007, Sheraton Towers, Singapore
I
enjoy a good conference, so I was in the up since their historical low of 2001, and there demand and people will starve. Dr He argues
enviable position of being not only chair are some worrying trends: the Asian population that more money must be spent on agricultural
but also Agrow Magazine’s reporter for the is still growing (1.4 billion in 1950 versus around research, “one of the most cost efficient ways
launch of Agchem Asia. This conference 4 billion today) and this population has a higher for governments to reduce poverty”, rather
was organised by IBC and sponsored by BASF income and spending power, which puts more than handing out farm subsidies that encourage
and covered the crop protection industry and pressure on natural resources. wastefulness.
related topics with a focus on Asia. Perhaps
“Agchem” was a slight misnomer given the Nevertheless, half a billion people in Asia remain The second keynote speech was from Dr
breadth of topics discussed, which ranged from undernourished. The Asian population is set to William Padolina of the International Rice
biotechnology, food security and biofuels as well continue to rise, whereas food yield increases in Research Institute, a nonprofit agricultural
as traditional agrochemicals, the sort of topics the last few years have flattened and may have research institute based in the Philippines. He
covered in Agrow Magazine. reached a plateau under current technologies. looked at the potential of biotechnology in
The increased consumption of meat by Asians delivering food security to Asia and highlighted
Perhaps the star turn of the event was the first has added pressure to land use, as several kilos the application of this technology to improve
keynote speaker, Dr He Changchui, Assistant of grain and significant quantities of water are nutrition and productivity while decreasing
Director General and Regional Representative of required to produce one kilo of meat. Water production costs and food prices. Dr Padolina
the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) consumption per household is also on the presented details of projects involving the
for Asia and the Pacific. Incidentally, the FAO’s increase while groundwater tables in India and breeding of resistance to biotic (such as disease
motto is “Fiat Panis”, let there be bread, so it China are decreasing, thus the price of rice may and pests) and abiotic stresses (such as drought,
was fitting that Dr He’s message brought into rise by 80% if water is not better managed. Oil submergence and salinity tolerances) in rice as
focus what the ultimate aim of crop science is prices are adding to the cost of agrochemicals, well as other projects to increase nutritional
about: food. Food prices have come down in real thus raising the price of crops, while feeding the content. Transgenic animal breeding was also
terms over the past 50 years as the increase in biofuels industry, which adds further pressure briefly touched upon, which made me smile:
food production has outstripped the growth in to the use of arable land. If these trends given the difficulties that transgenic crops have
population. However, prices have started to creep continue, there won’t be enough food to satisfy had gaining public acceptance, how much more
64 September 2007 •
www.agrow.com
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