POSTHARVEST 2009 reinforces Thailand’s potential as a leading exhibition organizer.

Rice is an important economic crop of the world, especially for the countries in the Asian region, including Thailand, which is the main rice consumer. Moreover, Thailand is also a major rice exporter with export volume of up to 30% of the world’s rice exportation. The most famous Thai type of rice is called “Jasmine rice”, recognized as a good-quality kind of rice highly demanded by consumers in foreign markets. Consequently, the rice export market has been growing continuously.

At present, rice producer giants like China and Vietnam are accelerating their operations at increasing the productivity and volume of rice importation in attempt to reach the market shares equivalent to that of Thailand. In response, Thai government agencies overseeing this matter are trying to find measures and marketing mechanics to maintain Thailand as a rice exporter, who obtains its market share in exporting rice to Asia and the world continuously, along with the effort to utilize the international academic forums to get manufacturers and entrepreneurs in the Thai rice industry to search for innovative knowledge and new marketing channels, so as to develop the potential of manufacturers and entrepreneurs in the Thai rice industry, and make them be able to compete with the world’s market.

The Post Harvest 2009: Exhibition and Conference or POSTHARVEST 2009, was held during 15th-17th July 2552 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, with the joint cooperation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Thai Rice Exporters Association, Thai Rice Mills Association, and Asia Congress Events Co., Ltd, and was supported by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB). This is another important symposium for the development of the potential of manufacturers and entrepreneurs in the Thai rice industry—to get them the opportunities and exposure them to the academic and technological advancements in the process of rice production quality development from upstream ( farmers, producers ), midstream ( traders ), to downstream ( consumers ).

The Postharvest 2009 is a seminar and international exhibition event for the exchange of knowledge and technology as well as showing research papers and innovations regarding post-harvest procedures, rice products, up to the rice industry-related businesses. It was first held in the Asian region. As the world’s major rice producer and exporter, Thailand was chosen to be the host for the first time (The objective of the exhibition and conference was to publicise the advancement of the post-harvest technology and to create a network of research and development of post-harvest technology on an international scale in order to reduce the loss of rice products. Another purpose was to create confidence regarding the quality and safety of the rice from the steps of processing, harvesting, and storage before distribution to consumers. Apart from that, the Postharvest 2009 also served as a forum for investors and manufacturers from all regions to seek opportunities to invest and develop post-harvest technology. The participants included a number of academics and experts from Thai and foreign organisations. This was an important beginning for related parties or personnel in the rice industry to join hands in solving their problems seriously together.

The highlight was divided into 2 parts which are 1) the post-harvest academic conference in 4 main topics: post-harvest quality loss and marketing, the post-harvest management and technology, the utilization of rice products, and marketing research. The issues received great attention from many academics, the rice business sector and rice manufacturing industry, and entrepreneurs concerned, and 2) the exhibition of the leading rice-growing and rice production technology countries such as India, Bangladesh, Sri lanka, Nigeria, and the Philippines, demonstrating the products and innovations concerning rice production, for example, rice-growing industry machines, ploughing machines, reaping machines, milling machines, spare parts, rice sorting systems, rice milling systems, transportation systems, rice maintenance and rice quality increase systems, storage systems, pest management, rice planting and quality development technology, laboratory equipments, detectors and testers, hardware & software, logistic systems etc. All of these considerably gained attention from participants.

This event was a great success for both organisers and participants, especially entrepreneurs from the Thai rice industry which used the international forum to publicise the products and services to be known to entrepreneur groups and buyers from all over the world. Also, it served as a place for exchanging data and marketing trends to receive the knowledge about innovation and new technologies from industry experts across the globe, and to see the opportunities in seeking new markets for more market expansions into international territories.

Not only for that, this also marks Thailand’s achievement as a host for organising exhibitions and seminar meetings on an international level, this indicates the potential and readiness of Thailand as an international organiser host who is capable of holding exhibitions for every type of industry and every business line in the spotlight, and create demand from exhibition organisers from all over the world.