Asia’s Agriculture and Plant Science Industry Leaders Converge on Singapore
CropLife Asia 2015 Annual General Meeting Convenes in Lion City as Food Security and Sustainability for Region Take Centre Stage
Singapore, 2 March 2015 – CropLife Asia kicked off its 2015 Annual General Meeting today in Singapore and brought together leaders from across the continent representing a variety of sectors within the agriculture and plant science communities. The yearly event is an opportunity for those within the industry to discuss their experiences from the previous year, share global and regional best practices, and coordinate planning for the future.
The 2015 edition of the annual gathering is also providing a forum for attendees to engage in dialogue and discussion regarding food security and sustainability, a growing issue for the countries within Asia.
While estimates indicate the world’s population will exceed nine billion inhabitants by the year 2050, Asia alone is projected to have roughly one billion more people calling it home.[1] The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has also estimated that roughly two-thirds of the world’s hungry live in Asia and the Pacific.
“The dilemma of how to feed more people with greater efficiency and fewer resources is one the Governments and national decision-makers within Asia are grappling with daily. The role of plant science in agriculture is a critical component of the solution, and we take our responsibility of helping ensure food security and sustainability across the region seriously. The CropLife Asia 2015 Annual General Meeting is an important step in continuing this work.”
Among the presentations at this year’s meeting includes one by Dr. Bui Ba Bong, the former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Development for Vietnam. Dr. Bong is providing an in-depth look at the importance of rice production in Southeast Asia to food security in the region and globally. Most recently, Dr. Bong served as Senior Agriculture Officer (Rice Expert) with the United Nations’ FAO.
The 2015 Annual General Meeting also includes an opportunity for updates and strategic plans encompassing the year ahead to be shared by the international and regional CropLife organisations as well as many of the 15 national member associations across Asia which CropLife supports. Additionally, the newly-elected Board of Directors for CropLife Asia was officially presented during the meeting. The 2015 Board consists of:
- Mr. Mark Swinchatt – President, CropLife Asia (DuPont)
- Ms. Tina Lawton – Vice President, CropLife Asia (Syngenta)
- Mr. Lawrence Yu – Treasurer, CropLife Asia (Sumitomo)
- Mr. Stuart Lumber – Secretary, CropLife Asia (FMC)
The CropLife Asia 2015 Annual General Meeting will conclude on Tuesday, March 3.
[1] United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision, medium variant (2011).
About CropLife Asia
CropLife Asia is a non-profit society and the regional organization of CropLife International, the voice of the global plant science industry. We advocate a safe, secure food supply, and our vision is food security enabled by innovative agriculture. CropLife Asia supports the work of 15 member associations across the continent and is led by eight member companies at the forefront of crop protection, seeds and/or biotechnology research and development. For more information, visit us at www.croplifeasia.org.
For more information please contact:
Duke Hipp
Director, Public Affairs
CropLife Asia
Tel: (65) 6221 1615
