[10 January 2024, Beijing] – Dr. Kuakoon Piyachomkwan, Deputy Executive Director at BIOTEC, along with representative from the Ubon Bio Ethanol Public Company Limited and Siam Modified Starch were invited to participate in the sixth Lancang-Mekong Business Forum (LMBF) on “Promoting Agribusiness and Investment in the Processed Food Sector,” held on January 10-11, 2024, in Beijing, P. R. China. The event was organized by the Mekong Institute (MI). The group is joined by Dr. Kanchana Saengchan, a researcher from BIOTEC’s Waste Utilization and Management Research Team, and Dr. Sittichoke Wanlapatit, a researcher from BIOTEC’s Cassava and Starch Technology Research Team also joined the forum.
Dr. Piyachomkwan took center stage during the morning panel discussion on “Technological Innovation and Commercialization in Agri-Food Processing.” This Deputy Executive Director shared her experience in starch engineering, process optimization, and food carbohydrate properties, contributing to the broader dialogue on enhancing efficiency and sustainability in the agricultural and food processing sectors.
In addition, BIOTEC delegates actively participated in other discussions throughout the forum, focusing on topics, such as trade and investment opportunities for the agriculture and food processing sector, promotion of low carbon and green agri-food processing industry development in the Lancang-Mekong (LM) region, and the planning and construction of modern agricultural industrial parks and policies exchange.
The BIOTEC delegation also took the opportunity to showcase the functional food and ingredients developed by BIOTEC, as well as a project funded by the Lancang Mekong Cooperation Special Fund (LMCSF): “Train-the-Trainer Program under Lancang – Mekong Cooperation to Enhance Production Capacity and People’s Livelihood by Improving the Value Chain for Cassava Cultivation and Application: Clean Cassava Chips, Native Starch, Modified Starch, Ethanol and Biogas Production (TTC).” This initiative underscores BIOTEC’s commitment to driving positive change in the LM region by leveraging innovative approaches to enhance agricultural practices and food processing methods.
About The Business Forum
The Business Forum is part of a long-term project funded by LMCSF of P.R. China and has been organized by MI in each of the LM countries, namely Cambodia, P.R. China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand since 2018, in coordination with the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand. In 2024, MI cooperated with the Foreign Economic Cooperation Center (FECC) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), P.R. China, the China-ASEAN Business Center (CABA), Guangxi, P.R. China, to co-organize the 6th LMBF to promote the agribusiness and processed food sector of LM countries.
