Annual Report 2009 - Asian Productivity Organization

The APO organized a multicountry observational study
mission on Waste Management in the Agroprocessing
Industry, 16–19 June, to enhance participants’ knowledge
of the development and use of environmentfriendly
technologies in the agroprocessing sector and
to share experiences and learn from the best practices
in agroprocessing waste management in the host country.
Sixteen participants from eight countries attended,
with three local resource persons.
Program coverage: Korean policy on food waste
management—application of 3R concepts; Promotion
of a comprehensive master plan for “waste-to-energy”;
and Practice of food waste management. A field trip
was made to Ultra Feedstuff Co., Ltd., a food wasteto-resource
facility in Chunan; and Sudokwon Landfill
Site Management Corporation.
Seminar participant examining salak trees on a Sleman district
farm, Yogyakarta AGRICULTURE SECTOR
recommendations, a workshop on Applications of Nanotechnology
in the Food Industry was organized by
the APO and implemented by the FTPI, 15–19 June,
in Bangkok. It was attended by 22 participants from
eight member countries. Four APO resource persons
were deputed and there were two local experts.
Program coverage: Potential application of nanotechnology
in the food industry; Labeling and regulations;
Sharing of nanotechnology applications in the food
industry: Experiences of multinational food industries;
Challenges and opportunities in promoting nanotechnology
applications in the food industry; Nanoparticle
fabrication for the encapsulation of nutraceuticals
by the RESS technique; Controlled-release delivery
systems for nutraceuticals and functional foods; and
Regulatory and institutional framework in safety of
nanofoods to attract investment in nanotechnology applications.
Site visits were made to: the National Science
and Technology Development Agency Material
Technology Lab, Biotechnology Lab, and Nanotechnology
Lab; and Kasetsart University Nanotechnology
Laboratory. Participants also attended the Food Innovation
Asia Conference, part of ProPak Asia 2009.
Waste Management in the Agroprocessing Industry
The processing activities of agroprocessors can
generate waste if not properly designed and managed.
These come in the form of liquid and solid waste that
can be environmental health hazards. Some processing
activities produce large amounts of effluents that
contribute to the pollution of rivers and seas. More
polystyrene foam or styrofoam materials and plastics,
which are nonbiodegradable, are also used in the
handling and marketing of processed products. Companies
engaged in agroprocessing should incorporate
waste management and environmental considerations
in their business planning and operations to contribute
to the eradication of health hazards and to mitigate
environmental damage.
Entrepreneurship and Agrotechnology/Agribusiness
Incubation
Agribusiness incubation accelerates the successful
development of start-ups by providing entrepreneurs
with various resources and services. Agribusiness
incubators reduce risk and investment expenses
and increase the success rate of start-ups. Incubator
graduates can create jobs, revitalize neighborhoods,
commercialize new technologies, and strengthen local
and national economies. The concept of agrotechnology/agribusiness
incubation is, however, relatively new
to most Asian countries.
Recognizing the crucial role of technology/business
incubation in promoting innovation in agriculture
and modernizing traditional SME operations into
technology-based ones, the APO deputed a study
mission on Entrepreneurship and Agrotechnology/
Agribusiness Incubation to the Republic of China,
22–26 June. The objective was to learn from the rich
experience of the host country in technology/business
incubation. The CPC and National Chung Hsing
University (NCHU), with support from the Council of
Agriculture (COA), Executive Yuan, implemented the
mission. Twenty-two participants from nine member
countries attended, along with two overseas and three
local resource persons.
Program coverage: Entrepreneurship and agribusiness/agrotechnology
incubation in the Asia-
Pacific region; Agripreneur incubation—an evolved
approach to facilitating the viability of agribusiness
entrepreneurs; Institutional and policy arrangements
in the Republic of China for the promotion of agrotechnology/agribusiness
incubators; and Creating a
conducive environment for promoting agrotechnology/
agribusiness incubation. To observe agrotechnology/
agribusiness incubation operations, the participants
visited eight sites: Innovation Incubator of the NCHU
APO ANNUAL REPORT 2009 45