March 26, 2023

Tag: AGR

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Government Ministers, Business Leaders and Economists Confirmed for Cambodian Investment Conference

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Aug. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Agriculture, manufacturing, banking and real estate will be among the key business sectors to be discussed at the upcoming International Business Chamber of Cambodia (IBC) Investment Conference.

The conference will bring together senior government ministers, top economists and business leaders in Phnom Penh on October 6th and 7th.

Cambodia’s Prime Minister H.E. Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen will deliver the conference’s opening address on the morning of October 6th.

The keynote speech will be delivered by Donald Kanak, the chairman of Prudential Corporation Asia — which is a leading sponsor of the conference.

Two major panels will follow the opening address and the keynote speech, both moderated by the renowned Wall Street Journal columnist Andrew Browne.

The first panel will look at Cambodia’s Economic Outlook and will feature Eric Sidgwick, senior country officer at the Asian Development bank (ADB), the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Cambodia representative Ahmed Faisal and Dr. In Channy, CEO of ACLEDA Bank who is also the Vice Chairman of the IBC and the chairman of the conference’s organising committee.

Another panel at the conference will discuss Cambodia’s Economic Advantage.

“The speakers and moderators list for the conference is looking very exciting and I am delighted to see the calibre of those who will be present for these important discussions,” says Dr. Channy.

“There are a number of government ministers already in attendance and we are expecting more to confirm in the coming days and weeks,” says Dr. Channy.

Government ministers attending the event will include Cambodia’s Minister of Commerce H.E Sun Chanthol, Education Minister H.E. Hang Chuon Naron and Minister
 of Posts & Telecommunication (MPTC)  H.E. Prak Sokhonn.

IBC Chairman Bretton Sciaroni, senior partner at Sciaroni and Associates, will chair a break-out discussion on Cambodia’s Legal Landscape for Investors which will feature Senior Minister H.E. Mr. Om Yentieng, Chairman of Cambodia’s Anti-Corruption Unit.

“This will be one of the most important discussions at the conference — with investors constantly monitoring the political and legal situation in Cambodia as they make their investment decisions. The recent political breakthrough will be a big boost for investors who want to see similar breakthroughs in the legal landscape,” Mr. Sciaroni says.

Platinum sponsors for the IBC conference are Prudential Cambodia, Jardine Matheson Limited, Sciaroni and Associates, ACLEDA Bank and ANZ Royal. Gold sponsors include DFDL and Ezecom.

The South East Asia Globe and its sister publication Focus ASEAN are media partners of the event.

Those wishing to register for the IBC Investment conference should visit the IBC’s website at www.ibccambodia.com.

Media Contact:

Julian Rake
+855-12324283
julian@quantumpublicity.com

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Market

Public Aquaria Set to Make a Splash at Aquarama 2015

SINGAPORE, Aug. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Aquarama is the leading biennial international ornamental fish, aquatic plants, invertebrates and accessories trade exhibition in the world (www.aquarama.com.sg). Throughout its history stretching back to 1989, it has attracted exhibitors, trade and public visitors from all corners of the globe. The 14th edition — scheduled to run from 28-31 May 2015 in its traditional home of Singapore, will be no different — with one important exception.

In addition to its usual complement of visitors from the international ornamental aquatic industry and the general public (numbering in the many thousands), it has always attracted a small number of visitors from the public aquarium world, as well as some exhibitors who supply both the ornamental and public aquarium sectors.

This is now set to change dramatically with the organisers (UBM Media (Singapore) Pte Ltd) and a specially convened public aquarium committee launching a programme of sub-events aimed specifically at public aquarium personnel. This committee, consisting of Scott Dowd (Senior Aquarist at the New England Aquarium, Boston, USA), Ramon Barbosa (Senior Curator at the S.E.A. Aquarium in Sentosa, Singapore) and Rob Jones (‘The Aquarium Vet’ and veterinarian at the SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, Australia) and co-ordinated by Aquarama Consultant, John Dawes, is devising a programme of activities tailored fairly and squarely to the needs of the public aquarium industry, as well as the fostering of closer links between the home aquarium industry and public aquaria.

Up to now, these links have only been modest. However, if developed to their full potential, this would undoubtedly benefit both industries. For instance, there are several livestock suppliers within the ornamental sector that already service public aquaria, but the room for expansion and improvement is considerable but, as yet, largely unexplored. The same applies to manufacturers and suppliers of equipment, foods, treatments, services, etc.

In order to address these issues, Aquarama is dedicating over 50% of its available seminar and meeting time slots to a number of activities aimed at bringing both industries closer together than ever before.

Round Table Discussion: Chaired by Aquarama Consultant, John Dawes, this will consist of a panel of invited experts, comprising the three above-mentioned committee members, government representatives, ornamental aquatic industry leaders, plus livestock suppliers. Under the theme: Engage, Influence and Collaborate: Maximising the Synergies of the Public and Home Aquarium Industries, attendance will be free and open to all Aquarama trade and public aquarium visitors and exhibitors, and will consist of a minimum of 1 1/2 hours of intense debate, action and Q&A’s.

Seminar: This half-day programme of presentations from leading figures from the public aquarium world will feature topics of exclusive relevance to the industry, such as: Artificial Reproduction Techniques in Sharks and Rays, Prolonged Transportation and Captive Husbandry of Manta Rays;The Initiative to Promote Conservation and Sustainable Management of Home Aquarium Fishes, led by the IUCN Species Survival Commission/Wetlands International Freshwater Fish Specialist Group (FFSG) and the Global Zoo and Aquarium Community; Initiative to Promote Socially and Environmentally Beneficial Home Fishkeeping, plus several other topics which are currently being finalised.

Strategic Development Meeting: This in-depth session will discuss the IUCN’s FFSG/public aquaria initiative set up to explore ways in which both industries can help drive environmental and socio-economic benefits, e.g. by identifying and promoting opportunities for sustainable management of wild populations of aquarium fishes that support livelihoods for communities living in regions of biological importance, thus fostering a powerful drive for conservation of these species as well as the habitats where they are found — achieved via well-informed consumer choices within the home aquarium industry. The team to explore this new, ambitious, and important initiative (under the chairmanship of committee member, Scott Dowd) will create a win-win-win scenario where the hobby gets an infusion of energy from zoos and public aquaria (which will showcase fish identified by IUCN’s FFSG as key species), thus promoting fishkeeping; zoos and aquaria will get a new instrument to achieve their goals of in-situ environmental protectionism; rural communities can receive sustainable economic returns for stewarding aquatic resources and watersheds, and the ornamental industry becomes a main actor in facilitating ethical supplies and helping alleviate poverty. This important meeting will last for a full afternoon (approximately four hours).

Too often, meetings of great importance such as this take place at international conferences. Important conclusions are reached by very well qualified specialists. Unfortunately though, those findings and discussed action plans fade away shortly after the meeting. In order to guarantee lasting outcomes from our Strategic Planning Meeting, we have retained the services of The Facilitators Network Singapore with trained experts to help us run the most efficient meeting, capture all information and produce a working document which will serve as a road map that will enable us to follow through and accomplish the goals we agree upon at Aquarama 2015.  

It is hoped that bringing public aquaria into Aquarama will benefit all parties, especially when added to the organiser’s efforts to attract exhibitors who supply public aquaria but are currently unaware of the trade benefits and possibilities that Aquarama undoubtedly offers.

It is also hoped that by attracting visitors and exhibitors from public aquaria, these will gain an invaluable insight into an industry which they may be aware of, but know little about. These visitors will, for example, be able to witness at first hand a staggering array of fish, aquatic plants, invertebrates and equipment which they may never have come across before. They will also, of course, be able to source supplies of equipment, services and livestock for their own establishments, be able to attend the free ornamental aquatic trade and public seminars which form a traditional part of Aquarama, join the highly popular fish farm tour and marvel at the more than 1,400 entries in the general fish competition, as well as the specialised crystal bee shrimp, betta, marine aquarium, marine nano cube, freshwater planted aquarium, freshwater nano, and dragon fish (Asian arowana/bonytongue) competitions, which have helped make Aquarama the ‘best ornamental aquatic exhibition’ on the planet.

In the words of Jennifer Lee, event manager for Aquarama: “The ornamental aquatic sector has always supplied fish, plants and invertebrates to the home aquarium hobbyist, on the one hand, and public aquaria on the other. It could be said to lie in the middle, with the two sectors at either end of the spectrum. It is our aim to bring both ends much closer together than they’ve ever been before and establish our event as a ‘must attend’ fixture in the calendar of all stakeholders.”

For further information on Aquarama, please visit www.aquarama.com.sg.

Notes to Editors

About UBM Media (Singapore) Pte Ltd (www.ubmasia.com.sg)

A member of the UBM Asia Group of Companies, we organise events and conferences in a variety of industries, including aquatic and pet, cruise tourism, information technology, jewellery, paper and nonwovens, etc. The company stages leading events in its targeted industries across the world, attracting quality exhibitors, trade visitors, conference attendees and speakers from all over the world. These events are important business platforms where our customers can meet and network with their existing and new business partners face-to-face.

About UBM Asia (www.ubmasia.com)

Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is Asia’s leading exhibition organiser and the biggest commercial organiser in mainland China, India and Malaysia. Established with its headquarters in Hong Kong and subsidiary companies across Asia and in the US, UBM Asia has a strong global network of 30 offices and 1,300 staff in 24 major cities. We operate in 20 market sectors with 230 exhibitions and conferences, 23 trade publications, 20 online products for over 1,000,000 quality exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and subscribers from all over the world.

About UBM plc (www.ubm.com)

UBM plc is a leading global company. We inform markets and bring the world’s buyers and sellers together at events, online and in print and provide them with the information they need to do business successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities, from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewellery traders, and from farmers to pharmacists around the world. Our 6,600 staff members in 31 countries are organised into specialist teams that serve these communities, helping them to do business and to work effectively and efficiently in their respective markets.

About the Freshwater Fish Specialist Group (FFSG) (http://www.iucnffsg.org/)

The FFSG group was established in 2004 and is a joint partnership between the IUCN Species Survival Commission and Wetlands International. It is a diverse group of experts, spread across the world, working on the biology and conservation of freshwater fishes. The mission of the FFSG is to achieve conservation and sustainable use of freshwater fishes and their habitats through: generating and disseminating sound scientific knowledge; creating widespread awareness of their values; and influencing decision-making processes at all levels. The FFSG includes the newly forming Home Aquarium Fish Specialist Sub-Group, chaired by Scott Dowd.

Piaba Logo (Credit: Project Piaba)
illustrated cardinal tetra (Credit: Sally Landry)
illustrated cardinal tetra (Credit: Sally Landry)

Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140825/139104
Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140825/139105
Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140825/139106

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Market

Asia Plantation Capital announces commercial collaboration in India

SINGAPORE, July 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Singapore-based Asia Plantation Capital is proud to announce Phase 1 of a commercial collaboration in India with the country’s largest, public sector, agarwood plantation group – a community based project, extending across the whole of Southern India.

Vanadurgi Agarwood India was established around 10 years ago as a cooperative-shareholder business model – providing local farmers and landowners with planting stocks, and support to cultivate agarwood and other cash crops. The company has grown, and has now established over 5,000 grower plantations across South India; accounting for about 99% of agarwood trees currently in South India. In the prime plantation zone at Sringeri, in Karnataka, the company has established an old-model plantation system, an agriculture research station, an artificial-inoculum multiplying unit, warehousing and a packing and forwarding centre. In addition, a standard, resinous wood extraction facility with a large scale, primary processing unit is being planned here. Also, fully-fledged, primary processing units are planned at: Madikeri, Sakaleshpur, Shimoga, Sirsi, Puttur and Kollur (in Karnataka) with collection centres at Coimbatore (in Tamil Nadu) and at Kalpetta (in Kerala).

After visits by Dharmendra Kumar – the founder of Vanadurgi – to Thailand, and to other countries in South East Asia, to study and establish relationships with other commercial agarwood plantations, Asia Plantation Capital is proud that the group have chosen Asia Plantation Capital to work with them on developing inoculation solutions and the end-processing of agarwood into all the various (and increasing) products it can offer.

During early July, a team from Asia Plantation Capital’s Specialist Inoculation and Research Department carried out field trials in India to assess the best inoculation systems – based on our experience in perfecting a system in Thailand and Malaysia which has a 100% success rate in stimulating the production of agarwood resin, and which is 100% organic; comparable to oud oils produced in nature. Jack Sirichai, who headed the team from Asia Plantation Capital’s Thailand office (based in Bangkok) said, “It was an amazing experience to meet Dharmendra and his group of farmers when we arrived. Over 500 of them had travelled, for many hours, to meet and greet us with an official reception, held in our honour. We were overwhelmed to find so many people who share our passion for developing the agarwood industry and for employing the best husbandry and socially responsible management practices to advance this massive plantation industry in a sustainable manner. Providing and nurturing community support is a cornerstone of our own policies at Asia Plantation Capital; to share this with such a passionate group is key to our continued growth and success.”

The Asia Plantation Capital team will now be working closely with Vanadurgi to monitor and assess our inoculation processes. All countries (and even regions) have differing climatic and biodiversity conditions – all of which have a major effect on the performance of these systems – and it is important that we tailor and research our methods to provide the maximum yield and quality of the end oud that is produced in all the regions.

Phase 2 of the collaboration will see Asia Plantation Capital and Vanadurgi working on end-processing solutions, distillation, and developing consumer products which we can jointly market – creating the world’s largest, combined producer and supplier of agarwood – with the ability to offer long term, sustainable supplies of consistent quality to the global market place.

Asia Plantation Capital chooses, very carefully, whom it works with and with whom it shares its technologies. The benefits for the largest agarwood plantation group in India – gained by jointly working with Asia Plantation Capital – are the potential to create the largest, single supplier and grower in the world and to increase the market share for both companies. This offers both companies the opportunity to benefit from joint research and technologies; helping to further secure the future market and sustainable supplies of agarwood, for both companies and the industry.

About Asia Plantation Capital

Asia Plantation Capital is an owner and operator of a diverse range of commercial plantation and farming businesses across the Asia-Pacific region – and globally, part of the Asia Plantation Capital Group of associated companies. Their focus is on multicultural and diverse plantation projects, geared to the domestic and commercial demands of the countries in which they operate. Working closely with, and supporting local communities is an underlying core principle of the APC business – providing social and cultural support (as well as investment) to move these communities away from deforestation and illegal logging activities which were previously seen as a main source of income in some regions of Asia. Established officially in 2008, although operating privately since 2002, the group now has plantation and agricultural projects on four continents – with operational projects at various stages in: Thailand, Malaysia, China, Laos, India, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, The Gambia, North America and Europe.

Promoting the use of certified wood is the best way of preventing deforestation, protecting biodiversity and combatting poverty in the Tropical Rainforest regions. For the Yachting Sector, which strives for excellence and which is already involved in environmental efforts, this is also a way of ensuring that no wood from illegal logging is used.

About Vanadurgi Agarwood

The Vanadurgi Agarwood India Limited is a public sector company that is exclusively engaged in the cultivation, production and marketing of agarwood. The company has enormous experience, expertise and establishments in each and every segment of the agarwood industry. The company has established over 5,000 agarwood plantations and is emerging as one of the world’s largest agarwood plantation companies. Our goal is to become a one-stop-shop for agarwood raw materials, with no parallels elsewhere in the world. We plan to meet that goal through a combination of experience and partnerships with leading experts from around the world.

The company has established over 5,000 plantations across South India, accounting to about 99% of trees currently in South India. In the prime plantation zone at Sringeri in Karnataka, the company has established an old model plantation, an agriculture research station, an artificial inoculum multiplying unit, warehousing, and a packing and forwarding centre. Further, a standard resinous wood extraction facility with a large scale primary processing unit is also being planned here. Also, full-fledged primary processing units are planned at Madikeri, Sakaleshpur, Shimoga, Sirsi, Puttur and Kollur in Karnataka, and collection centres at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and at Kalpetta in Kerala.

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