5-7 November, 2019 • Bangkok Thailand
Bangkok Marriott Hotel The Surawongse

This conference is conducted in English and will be simultaneously translated into Mandarin. Mandarin speakers will be translated simultaneously into English.

Tuesday, 5 November

Get up to speed: Day 1 examines public-private partnerships, investment opportunities, adoption trends, and real-world case studies on how UAV and other precision application methodologies are making their way through the value chain. The day ends with a panel discussion on value chain development designed as a practical venue to help move technology into the hands of service providers and farmers.

0800-1700

Registration

0900-0920

Welcome | Introduction

David Frabotta, Editorial Market Development Director, Meister Media Worldwide

0920-1000

Development of Technology in Agriculture and Investment Opportunities in Thailand

Ms. Wanlapa Nunual, Senior Investment Promotion Officer for Agriculture Industries, Thailand Board of Investment

ASEAN is investing into its agriculture infrastructure through business incubators and development initiatives aimed to create sustainable, scalable services to its predominantly smallholder farmers. Join BOI to discuss its Smart Farm lending facility, Thailand 4.0 agriculture initiatives, and other investment opportunities for foreign and domestic agriculture technology companies.

1000-1040

Disruption for Crop Protection

Gaurav Sharma, Global Agrichemicals Research Lead, Accenture

Explore mega trends and case studies that are threatening the status quo for crop protection products around the world and immediate implications for Asia Pacific. New crop protection methods, robotics, novel farming methods, digital farming, biotechnology, and emerging consumer demands all contribute to a shift in the way crop inputs will be utilized and applied in the near future. Learn how manufacturing, distribution, and volumes will change and how new business models will evolve, given these disruptions in Agribusiness.

1040-1110

Coffee and Tea Break

1110-1150

Real-World Use Studies | Application Innovations for ASEAN Crops

Summer Deng, Sales Director, DJI Agriculture

DJI leads the drone industry in manufacturing and its ability to fuel adoption through business creation throughout Asia Pacific. Its service partnerships with local companies could set the model for how drone applications will proliferate through the region. Learn about DJI’s results on pests for key crops in ASEAN, and how new crop protection partnerships are shaping the future of adoption in key markets.

1150-1230

Worker Safety and Product Stewardship | Next-Generation Pesticide Application Systems

Lawrence Yu, President of Asia Pacific, AMVAC

Learn how closed systems coupled with precision application brings about a paradigm change to traditional crop protection. Yu will discuss the future of sustainability for product stewardship, worker safety, food quality and the environment. Learn how new application systems can help to preserve natural beneficial pests, promote food security while creating additional benefit to consumers with quality produce.

1230-1400

Lunch

1400-1440

State of Commercial Drone Adoption | Leading Markets and Drivers to Farmer Access and Use

Markus Scherer, Consulting Director, Ipsos Business Consulting

With capabilities ranging from remote sensing, liquid and granular spaying, to automated flights and precision variable rate applications, drone adoption will transform farm management practices, business models, and distribution channels across our agribusiness ecosystems. Users adopting this technology, particularly by smallholder farms and cooperatives in Asia, have also developed new business services and promoted digital platforms dedicated to this technology. How will the rising trend impact spray volume? Where is drone technology finding a home in the supply chain, and how can input companies plan their business strategy to capitalize? Examine the role of drones in agriculture, pillars of adoption in country case studies, as well as the untapped opportunities and imminent implications to the agribusiness industry, drone manufacturers, and farm operators in Asia.

1440-1520

Advances in Formulation Chemistry and Research | Exploiting the full potential of drone application with specialized Adjuvants

Prof. Dr. Peter Baur, Head of Competence Center Crop Solutions, Clariant

Drone application has the potential to become a significant application technology in the very near future. In addition to existing uses as alternative to backpack sprayer application in particularly challenging conditions like paddy rice in Asia or hillside locations, it appears to almost perfectly meet current trends. It fits to precision agriculture that is increasingly based on big data; it needs low water volumes and potentially allows liquid oil-based carriers as an alternative; a lower input of energy and better carbon footprint has potential to be superior to established technology; loss of, or risk for reduced performance of multiple product mixes can be effectively avoided by multiple flights; and a couple of other clear benefits like preventing user exposure and reduced input in machinery and traffic are striking. A big potential exists also in the management of climate change-related crop stress situations like drought, flooding or radiation. In this context, custom-made formulation and preparation concepts for foliar nutrients that cannot be utilized with today’s mixes and potentially bulky hard water can result in a huge gain of efficiency and compensate for limited mineral availability in dry soil. As with every new disrupting technology, there are some intrinsic challenges that are becoming more evident or are related and even caused by the new technology.

1520-1550

Coffee and Tea Break

1550-1650

Disruption’s Role in Value Chain Creation

Rob Hulme, Cofounder and Asia Director, Beanstalk AgTech
Paul Voutier, Director of Knowledge and Innovation, Grow Asia
Dr. Ravi Khetarpal, Executive Secretary, APAARI
Dr. Saowaluck Pornkulwat, Thai Crop Protection Association and FMC AG Thailand

New technologies are creating new industries to serve farmers. Systems, innovation, technology, and digital platforms are creating new ways to assess crop value, access markets, generate more income, and establish more sustainable agronomic systems. We’ll examine how the existing channels must evolve and where opportunities exist for new industries and investment.

1700-2100

Cocktail Reception

Location: The Garden at Surawongse (if raining: Dok-Kaew Room)

Wednesday, 6 November

See the future: Day 2 examines the regulatory environment and lobbying efforts going forward, including pesticide approvals. New application methods will force manufacturers to examine formulation technology, adjuvants, nozzle types, and more fine-tuning to optimize product consistency and coverage. Tune into China’s research as a leader in both regulations and formulation optimization, and join our panel discussion on where we go from here.

0800-1700

Registration

0900-0910

Welcome | Introduction

David Frabotta, Editorial Market Development Director, Meister Media Worldwide

0910-0950

Innovation for Asia Pacific: Case studies and laying the foundation for heightened adoption

Dr. Bjoern Roepke, Head of Regulatory & Product Safety, Bayer Crop Science

Join Bayer Crop Science as they discuss the benefits, regulatory implications and impact of emerging application methods for smallholder farmers. UAV application and other methods are already making an impact on farm efficiency, product efficacy, worker safety, and upskilling in leading markets. Learn how a cohesive regulatory framework covering safety is crucial to the growth, development, and adoption for countries throughout Asia.

0950-1030

Adjuvant Technology Innovation | Research on new adjuvants designed for optimization of droplets sprayed from UAVs

Fernando Lopez, Agro Asia Pacific Lead, Lamberti

Optimize Your Formulation Delivery: New application methods require a rethink on how adjuvants and nozzles interact to influence drift and deposition for low-volume formulations. Learn how emerging research in this area is creating new best management practices for service providers who provide application services to farmers. Learn about the benefits of matching the proper nozzles and adjuvants to deliver more crop protection technology to the target while improving protection of the environment.

1030-1100

Coffee and Tea Break

1100-1140

Real-World Use Studies | Providing Aerial Insights and Automation for Plantation Crops at Scale

Jin Xi (JX) Cheong, CEO, Poladrone

Oil palm and other plantations in ASEAN are important staples for the agriculture economies of the region. Learn how Poladrone is providing pragmatic solutions using automated drones powered by artificial intelligence for specific pests, crops, and spraying applications. With over 300,000 hectares of plantation land mapped in ASEAN, they seek to further optimize existing land use to increase efficiency and profitability to ensure a sustainable industry.

1140-1230

Regulatory Update | Emerging Commercial Drone Regulations

Siang Hee Tan, Executive Director, CropLife Asia

Drone piloting regulations vary by country with national aviation regulators setting unfavorable rules to protect national security and commercial air travel. But attitudes toward commercial UAV are loosening to embrace emerging business models. Night spraying, BVLOS, and other approvals could vastly change agriculture applications, chemistries, and product registrations. Learn what’s coming next and how agriculture lobbyists are paving the way for tomorrow’s regulatory approvals.

1230-1400

Lunch

1400-1440

Real World Case Studies | China and Japan: Past, Present and Future

Dr. Tong Wei, Global Cooperation Director, XAG

XAG is driving adoption and serving leading markets on key crops. This presentation will examine success stories by showcasing past and present projects that are creating more efficient farmers, more judicious use of fertilizers and pesticides, and better data for decision-making tools.
Future plans: With the management of more acreage, XAG is compiling agronomic information and deploying AI that will change the way farms and farmers manage their crops. XAG is more than a drone company, it’s an agriculture mainstay that is compiling the tools to deploy predictive analytics on its platforms in Asia Pacific and other key markets around the world.

Outlook of China Precision Ag, Value Revolution from Farm:

1440-1500

Outlook of China Precision Ag, Value Revolution from Farm:

Introduction and Moderator: Xiaoyu Li,  SPM Biosciences (Beijing) Co., Ltd.

Crop protection companies, UAV manufacturers, and new adjuvants are driving efficacy and efficiency for farmers. Learn case studies from China’s emerging precision ag adoption, including drone applications on key crops and ongoing field trials by multinational companies. Precision agriculture is changing the future agrochemical market, and China is leading the evolution.

1500-1530

Formulation Update: Regulatory & Pesticide Formulation for Drone Spraying

Dr. Xuemin Wu, Professor of National Pesticide Formulation Laboratory, China Agriculture University

Learn how public-private research projects are driving innovation and evolution of crop protection products for drone application methods. In his role, Dr. Wu leads projects between multinational and domestic pesticide companies to understand how innovative pesticide formulations drive more economic, effective and efficient crop production. As a national regulation advisor to ICAMA, learn how this R&D research is driving national regulatory standards and management systems that are creating usage templates of China for other countries to follow and what future regulations of MOA China might look like.

1530-1600

Application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS) to Control Crop Insects and Diseases in China

Dr. Huizhu Yuan, Professor of Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Science

As a national drone application expert, Dr. Yuan leads projects between drone companies, multinational and domestic pesticide companies to understand how UAV application methods drive more effective and efficient crop production. In his role as Founder of the Joint Laboratory for UAV Agriculture with DJI, Dr. Yuan will highlight the status of China drone spraying technology development, challenges of new products, and how drone technology fits into the development of digital agriculture and precision application systems for farmers in China.

1600-1620

Coffee and Tea Break

1620-1700

Panel Discussion: Where to Next? Next Steps for the Next Two Years

Moderated by David Frabotta, Editorial Market Development Director, Meister Media Worldwide

Join presenters and panelists from the previous two days as they distill key points from expert presentations and identify a path forward for agribusinesses and service providers. Learn how supply channels can instigate grower adoption that generate better farm income, access to markets, and sustainable farming systems for the future.

1700

Closing Remarks and Adjourn

1700-2100

Cocktail Reception

Location: The Garden at Surawongse (if raining: Dok-Kaew Room)

Thursday, 7 November

Precision Application Asia Field Day
Learning to Fly

Featuring: In-field agtech demos from leading local distributor and tech manufacturer, hands on, pilot-for-a-day UAV training, two featured speakers from Thai government and the Agriculture Technology & Innovation Association of Thailand.

Tour Includes: Networking lunch, transportation to and from host hotel, and water.

In Collaboration With

About S.A.T.I.: S.A.T.I. specializes in functioning as a guide to companies looking to adapt their agtech and business structures to the intricacies of the southeast Asian market.

The company works with some of the biggest names in application technology, including China’s DJI and Shenzhen Eagle Brothers UAV Innovation Co. They also assist worldwide crop input companies with navigating the Thai agtech market, with projects including Bayer’s current field research endeavor in Suphanburee, Thailand.

0740

Board Bus

0800

Depart Hotel to S.A.T.I. Flight Training Center

1000

Opening remarks, Agriculture Technology and Innovation Association of Thailand

1030

Program Begins:

Join one of Thailand’s leading precision technology distributors, manufacturers, training companies, and spraying service providers for a hands-on experience with drone piloting and get a better understanding of its potential in agriculture settings. Education and training are critical for moving farm workers up the value chain and providing efficient and efficacious spraying programs for farmers.

1230

Field Day Ends, Depart for Lunch

1245

Lunch

1445

Depart for Hotel

1700

Arrive at Hotel