“Our studies show the unique anthocyanins and other polyphenols found in New Zealand’s blackcurrants improve vision, combat obesity and prevent cognitive decline that can lead to Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and dementia.”

“Many Japanese doctors recommend the daily intake of New Zealand blackcurrant product to prevent age-related conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts,” noted Shiojima.

“Even the doctor of the Hanshin (Tigers) professional baseball team uses New Zealand blackcurrant products to improve vision and recovery.”

JTBPD also supplies ingredients made from New Zealand blackcurrant to global food companies.

“As people continue to invest in their health, a daily intake of blackcurrant anthocyanins will improve their lives,” Shiojima concluded.

www.jtbpd.com

“As we strengthen our ties with the Brazilian community, we are also able to educate them about our business and develop our operations throughout the entire process,” said Kazuhiko Kamada, director-president of CENIBRA.

With a huge demand for its products, CENIBRA was able to provide jobs to around 5,000 direct employees.

“We want to expand the business and project in Brazil to plant more trees, which will positively affect more communities,” Kamada shared.

Thanks to its environmentally friendly way of doing business, CENIBRA has garnered multiple awards over the years for its sustainability and environmental management.

As the company celebrates its 35th year of working hand in hand with local farmers in 2020, modernization is CENIBRA’s top priority to allow for a more efficient process that would help its employees along the way.

“We have been investing every year in improving our operations and we are continuously growing. This year we expect to hit the highest record of production in our history,” stated Kamada.

“We have to keep good relations with society, prioritize safety and contribute to the local economy here in Brazil,” he concluded.

www.cenibra.com.br

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Technology plays a key role in Agribazaar’s success. The company employs more than one hundred information technology professionals. Advanced solutions are offered such crop monitoring, image-based testing, A.I.-based satellite-imaging for crop-yield estimations, weather tracking and soil moisture detection.

Agribazaar currently connects approximately 10,000 traders and processors with its network of 200,000 farmers across India.

“We want to bring over one hundred million farmers into the digital marketplace in the next three to five years and gradually increase the number of traders using our platform to sixty million,” says Agarwal.

“We aim to become a global platform for the betterment of the farming community and are looking for long-term investors and innovation partners to grow with us.”

reachus@agribazaar.com
www.agribazaar.com

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Patrick Teoh, the managing director of RIPI, strives for the highest quality of produce. All of RIPI’s pineapples are grown in the company’s own nursery through agricultural sustainability practices, and the in-house laboratory facilitates quality control with no genetic modification. The entire RIPI product range consists of fresh pineapple, branded dehydrated pineapple and jackfruit, as well as banana, jackfruit and pineapple puree and pineapple juice.

Teoh is committed to carrying out inspiring corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs for communities near the plantation that are at the heart of the company’s operations.

With ongoing support from the Malaysian government, RIPI is having a positive impact on people’s lives. Teoh’s priority is to improve the lives of the local community by contributing to the educational, cultural, economic and social development needs of the people.

RIPI’s exceptional CSR activities include building houses, providing school bags and uniforms, managing mobile clinics and facilitating cultural exchange programs for business study courses in Taiwan and Indonesia.

As the company’s first overseas export destination, Japan remains an important market for RIPI. Having achieved success in Japan, with the country’s notoriously high quality-control standards, RIPI’s international reputation for delivering quality products has opened the doors to global markets in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

“We are seeing a rise in demand for our products and we intend to increase the size of our plantation to meet this demand,” said Teoh. “Our pineapples are planted and picked by hand with a 24-hour turnaround time from farm-to-market to ensure customers enjoy produce of the highest quality.”

“We are implementing our expansion plan to increase the size of our plantation to 17,000 acres and we intend to grow our market share in countries such as Japan, Korea, Turkey, China and the United Arab Emirates. We look forward to expanding into new global markets as we bring the delight of Rompin to the world.”

www.md2.com.my

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A rich history

Versatile and with a high smoke point, palm oil was once used as an alternative to tallow and lard, the animal-based traditional frying fats that were used in the production of soap, shampoo and other products. In line with consumers demanding more natural ingredients, palm oil production levels have increased gradually and spread to all parts of the world.

From 15.2 million metric tons in 1995 to 62.6 million metric tons in 2015, annual palm oil production has quadrupled. By 2050, production is expected to reach 240 million metric tons. “Our goal is to educate farmers and consumers on sustainable oil palm cultivation and palm oil usage,” said Kalyana Sundram, CEO of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC).

“Current sustainability efforts are targeting a variety of final consumer products. We track agricultural techniques and production output through customer products, raise awareness, and implement sustainable practices to support the industry.”

Companies have shifted to palm oil as a healthier oil alternative and today, approximately 60 percent of personal care products contain palm oil derivatives.

The food and consumer industries account for two-thirds of palm oil production, while onethird is used in biofuels and sustainable energy.

While Malaysia is successfully researching palm oil usage for biofuel solutions, innovative farming and plantation methods are expected to offset deforestation. Reduced costs and cultivation periods combined with optimum water usage and management, make palm oil a viable alternative to annual oil seed crops such as rapeseed, soy and sunflower.

The Malaysian palm oil industry is encouraging sustainable practices across the entire production process, from farmer to end users. To address concerns regarding deforestation, Malaysia’s Minister of Primary Industries, Teresa Kok, who is also in charge of the palm oil industry, has proposed not to add new plantations onto newly deforested areas. She advocates eventually capping the total cultivated area in Malaysia to ensure no further deforestation takes place. This should thwart any claims from various anti-palm oil sectors.

Malaysian palm oil products are certified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. As an Olympic partner, Malaysia is on track to deliver sustainably certified palm oil consistent with Japan’s high food safety standards.

With education and proper practices, there is much to be excited about in terms of the future of Malaysian palm oil production. Importantly, for those working in the Malaysian palm oil industry, education, income and living standards have dramatically improved. In a bold move, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad officially launched the Love MY Palm Oil campaign to educate the nation’s consumers about all things palm oil.

MPOC is addressing opponents of the industry and driving sustainable solutions, while simultaneously reducing the negative impacts of farming and delivering palm oil to the world.

www.mpoc.org.my
kalyana@mpoc.org.my
www.usda.gov

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In the coming years, ThermoSeed Global plans to introduce the technology in Japan together with ZENNOH, Japan’s largest agricultural cooperative.

“Both Sweden and Japan have common interests in nature, sustainable agriculture, food quality and innovation and we are very excited to enter the Japanese market,” said Alness.

“Our team has learned a lot from our Japanese partners and through our cooperation we intend to create synergies. This endeavor will result in a win-win partnership as we continue to work together for sustainable and profitable food production.”

www.thermoseed.se

It focuses on four core business activities pertaining to Agrofinance, Procurement, Supply Chain/Storage and creating a Digital Marketplace. Though strongly anchored on agrarian values, the innovation of StarAgri business concept lies intransforming the archaic product-focused approach to agribusiness, into a service-driven model that is aligned with the modern business psyche.

From cultivation to commercialization, StarAgri undoubtedly stands at the critical juncture of India’s new sunrise industry. In 2014, the company’s pioneering spirit caught the eye of Singapore’s largest investment holding, Temasek, who invested a significant minority stake and dubbed StarAgri as one of the high growth companies in agriculture globally.

Today, StarAgri boasts as Asia’s leading post-harvest solution company, grounded on its winning formula of empowering farmers, building the right infrastructure and advanced data analytics. At the crux of its success is also its hands-on approach, as embodied by Mr. Agarwal’s leadership style, who is equally involved in the farmlands as he is in the boardroom, earning him the title of Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014.

“Simply put: farming feeds the country. Farming feeds the future,” affirms Mr. Agarwal. “As a business, profits are important, but a stronger drive for us is being cognizant of our purpose as a platform to uplift India for a better tomorrow.”

https://www.staragri.com/