Agri-Food Tech Expo Asia (AFTEA) will return for its second edition in 2023 from 31 Oct to 2 Nov at Sands Expo & Convention Centre.
The Asia-Pacific region is expected to account for 60% of global consumption by 2030, and is also home to some 450 million smallholder farmers who contribute up to 80% of the region’s food supply1. Against this backdrop, there is a critical need to increase global agri-food tech financing activity and industry development to ensure a more sustainable future for the region. AFTEA thus serves as a platform to inspire local stakeholders and empower them to make informed decisions, as well as accelerate collaborations, opportunities and solutions as a region.
A Constellar event with international content partner DLG (the German Agricultural Society), its inaugural edition last year welcomed over 6,000 attendees from 66 countries, and 163 exhibitors from 24 countries with 9 national pavilions from Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Republic of Korea, Singapore, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom. 2022’s edition also facilitated over 500 business meetings and 55 sandbox sessions over the event days.
Building momentum with the key theme ‘Enhancing Food Ecosystems for A Sustainable Future’, AFTEA 2023 will deep-dive into three focus areas — Innovation, Sustainability and Safety — to explore solutions and technologies that will enhance every stage and aspect of the food production and manufacturing supply chain for future generations in the Asia-Pacific region.
Regional Roadshows at Jakarta and Bangkok
In the lead-up to AFTEA 2023 in Oct, regional roadshows in Jakarta and Bangkok will provide the industry and invited media an exclusive preview of the latest technologies and solutions to check out at the exhibition in Singapore. They are also opportunities for in-market practitioners and professionals — industry leaders, governments, and communities — to share first-hand insights and build their network to advance agri-food technology in the nation.
Thailand and Indonesia were selected as host countries of the upcoming roadshows as they are among the top three South East Asian countries with the highest contribution to GDP and jobs by their agri-food sectors.2 Indonesia’s agri-food sector holds an unparalleled position in the economy and plays a pivotal role in its future economic development3, while Thailand has been accelerating nationwide digital transformation plans for the local food and agriculture industry in recent years, focusing big data, smart agriculture, e-commerce and agribusiness improvement4.
The Jakarta preview will be held on 2 Aug at JS Luwansa Hotel, Rasuna Said Kuningan South Jakarta. Speakers include GAPMMI chairman Adhi S. Lukman and PISAgro executive director Insan Syafaat and spokespersons from Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of National Development Planning (BAPPENAS).
Meanwhile, the Bangkok preview will be held on 23 Aug at Grand Centre Point, Terminal 21. Speakers include the Advisor for the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, and Thailand president of the Thai Society of Agricultural Engineering, Dr Dares Kittiyopas, and spokesperson from Bureau of Agricultural Commodities/ Department of Agriculture Extension.
New Highlights at AFTEA 2023
On top of Living Lab showcases, Sandbox sessions and the business-matching opportunities, this year’s edition will also see the debut of the Culinary Lab and Founders’ Hub for more experiential product demonstrations and journey sharing by industry stakeholders. More details will be shared nearer to date.
AFTEA is a key participating event of the Singapore International Agri-Food Week (SIAW), hosted by Temasek and Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and supported by the Economic Development Board (EDB), Enterprise Singapore (ESG), and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB).
Supporting trade associations for AFTEA 2023 include the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF), French Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (FCCS), Singaporean-German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (SGC), APAC Society for Cellular Agriculture (APAC-SCA), Canada-ASEAN Business Council, The Indonesian Food & Beverage (GAPMMI), Partnership for Indonesia’s Sustainable Agriculture (PISAgro) and the Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture (JACA).
1 ‘Asia-Pacific AgriFoodTech Investment Report 2022’. AgFunder.com.
2 ‘The Economic Impact of the Agri-Food Sector in Southeast Asia 2022’. Oxford Economics, Food Industry Asia.
3 ‘The Economic Impact of the Agri-Food Sector in Indonesia 2021’. Oxford Economics, Food Industry Asia.
4 ‘Thailand’s hi-tech food future: Government pledges to step up transformation of food and agri sector’. FoodNaviagtor Asia.
