Singapore’s first focused exhibition platform for emerging and established industry players in the region’s agri-food industries to launch, showcase and testbed their innovations and solutions makes its debut this month. Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia (AFTEA), a Constellar event with international partner DLG (German Agricultural Society), opens 26 October as a key participating event of Singapore International Agri-Food Week and will be held at Sands Expo and Convention Centre Halls A and B.
With agriculture, a key sector in Southeast Asian economies and accounting for about 11 per cent of ASEAN’s gross domestic product in 2020 according to the World Bank, increasing shortage of agricultural land and setbacks from various challenges in recent years such as climate change, supply chain disruptions and farm labour shortage stemming from Covid-19 have drastically affected agricultural production in the region.
“There is an increasingly critical need for collective action and expertise to accelerate the pace of technology adoption and innovation in the region. We look forward to connecting the agri-food tech community in the region as AFTEA plays an essential role in catalysing and facilitating these exchanges,” said Jean-François Quentin, Group Chief Executive Officer, Constellar.
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The first edition of AFTEA will highlight information exchange and technological solutions to farming and food supply issues in order to enhance the calibre, efficacy, and output of agricultural processes, boost crop production, and strengthen self-reliance. More than 200 exhibitors from over 15 nations, including Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, and the United Kingdom, are expected to attend the expo. In addition, Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia will host a number of regional and international debuts of the following agritech products and breakthroughs.
Planned launches of agritech solutions at AFTEA
Aquaculture: Next-generation aquafeeds and production systems from Seatobag; insect-powered shrimp and fish feed by INSEACT; seaweed farming via mobile technology by Sea Green; IoT solutions for integrated aquaculture by Rynan Technologies.
Food processing and packaging: Biodegradable PHBV polymers by Bio-Circular (Biotics); processing systems for fish, meat, insects and plant-based proteins by Alfa Laval.
Food safety and security: Fully traceable beef production systems by Polkinghornes; a smartphone-based handheld diagnostics platform for early detection of critical diseases, monitoring cattle health and screening milk quality at farm level by Faunatech Solutions; a multi-functional testing instrument for professional plant production by STEP Systems GmbH; an organic and food-grade traceability solution by Natural Trace.
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Novel food technologies: Bee-free honey by Bee-io Honey; advanced biotechnology platforms by Plantae Bioscience to create purpose-designed plants, enhance nutrients and implement cellular agriculture.
Sustainability and resource management: Circular agriculture systems and IoT (internet of things) automation for farming management by V-Plus Agritech; trendspotting tools by AI Palette; tree and plant management system by AMG Concept; sustainable and chemical free water treatment and sanitisation systems by Pure Active Water; Web3-based applications by Sinisana Technologies for better resource management; curation, distribution and retail of boutique wines from sustainable vineyards by Code Green.
Urban/smart farming: Plug-and-play smart micro farms by Mustard Seed Ventures; all-in-one smart greenhouse solutions by Adas Hightex; plant nutrition solutions by Biophilic; indoor high-value fungi cultivation by Grower Agritech; plant-based organic solutions for food and livestock by Tamuz Technologies; the first state-of-the-art indoor vertical farming facility in Singapore utilising 100 per cent proven Dutch horticulture technologies, by Urban Farming Partners Singapore.
Plant-based and alternative proteins: Cultivated seafood by Umami Meats; cell-cultured meat by CellMEAT, Gelatex, Meatable and Steakholder Foods; non-GMO vegan protein by Nextferm; precision-fermented, animal-free milk protein by Perfect Day Inc; low GI, high fibre, high prebiotics plant-based fibres by Alchemy FoodTech; egg alternatives by Hegg Foods; high-moisture plant-based tuna by WTH Foods; plant-based ingredient solutions by Futura Ingredients.
Facilitating knowledge sharing and collaborations
Beyond the broad showcases mentioned above, delegates will have the opportunity to interact directly with industry experts, business executives, and other stakeholders via targeted engagement platforms. This will enable them to explore solutions and collaborations with more knowledge. A carefully curated Sandbox, the Living Lab, as well as Constellar’s renowned business matching and hosted buyer programme is among these platforms.
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The Sandbox will serve as the setting for newly formed collaborations. Space F, ProXes, and Futura Ingredients will all be the subjects of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) that will be signed by Innovate 360, Singapore’s first venture capital food accelerator with facilities. The MoUs are centred on Singapore’s cross-border interactions and framework creation with Germany, Malaysia, and Thailand in order to support and enable startups and companies to engage on food technology, go-to-market strategies, OEM manufacturing, as well as other R&D initiatives.
In addition, delegates will get the opportunity to engage industry experts over discussions on aquaculture innovation, digital labelling for food tracking and monitoring, green financing, localising alternative proteins, building sustainable, inclusive and resilient agri-food tech ecosystems and urban agriculture.
The various country representatives, exhibitors and organisations such as Amarenco Group, BluEat, Entreprise SG, Jah Cultura, Olam Agri and Temasek Polytechnic will also be sharing case studies on their solutions and technologies’ deployment efforts and initiatives in the respective fields and countries.
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Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia will also co-host the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Forum, organised by Republic Polytechnic (RP), in partnership with IPI Singapore and Trendlines Agrifood Innovation Centre, to address key questions on reconciling the need for food security through urban agriculture, and to discuss challenges such as high farming costs and energy consumption. Delegates can also observe the launch of the first Agri-food Singapore Standards for a holistic approach to farm management for agriculture, aquaculture and animal husbandry. Organised and developed by Singapore Manufacturing Federation, these Singapore Standards are aligned to ASEAN and international standards, enabling local farms to adopt best practices for quality assurance while protecting the farm environment.
At the Living Lab, delegates can personally experience innovative solutions within the Agri-Food production ecosystem. These include 3D bioprinting of meat and seafood products by Steakholder Foods; vertical and urban farming solutions from Uniseal (Plantercell) and Grain International; as well as a circular aquaculture showcase by Temasek Polytechnic’s Aquaculture Innovation Centre.
“The DLG’s aim is to further knowledge in the international food and agriculture sectors. Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia is perfectly positioned to meet this aim from Singapore – Asia’s urban innovation hub for sustainable agri-food solutions. Key stakeholders get to maximise their knowledge opportunities over three days in just one spot, with an exhibition, startup focus, think tank and networking all in one. We look forward to the inspiring environment of the event and to the generation of new sustainable ideas,” said Tobias Eichberg, Member of the Board of Directors of DLG and Managing Director of DLG Exhibitions.
