SE Asia: Climate Change, Regulatory Resiliency Among Key Factors Influencing Crop Protection Outlook
3 November 2023 Dr. Siang Hee Tan, the Executive Director of CropLife Asia, recently outlined his vision for the organization in 2024 in an recent issue of AgriBusiness Global DIRECT. He emphasizes the importance of addressing climate change and ensuring that farmers have access to the latest agricultural technology, including crop protection products and better seeds. Dr. Tan also highlights the need for a resilient regulatory system to support the introduction of new products into the market.
One of the key areas of focus for CropLife Asia is improving the regulatory process in Southeast Asia. Dr. Tan mentions the need to train a new generation of regulatory workers and build their capacity and capability. The organization is collaborating with various partners to support the development of a functional regulatory system.
Dr. Tan identifies three key changes in the Southeast Asian region: the Internet of Things (IoTs), the digitalization of the farming community, and the adoption of greener chemistries. These advancements will shape the agricultural landscape and lead to safer and more efficient delivery of chemicals, targeted pest and disease management, and the use of biopesticides.
The top two challenges in Southeast Asia, according to Dr. Tan, are climate change and the timely delivery of technology to farmers. CropLife Asia is working to address these challenges by advocating for faster technology deployment and building resiliency in the regulatory systems.
In terms of sustainability, CropLife Asia has established a container recycling program and is committed to bringing back the plastic put into the marketplace. They have collected 100,000 metric tons of plastic in the last few years.
Dr. Tan emphasizes the importance of building regulatory resiliency and ensuring that farmers have access to science-based technology to adapt to their local environments. He also calls for collaboration between ag tech companies and farmers to develop technology that meets their needs. The ultimate goal is to ensure affordable and sustainable food production in the region, considering the significant number of people who go hungry every day in Asia.
Read more at AgriBusiness Global DIRECT.
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