COA Deputy Minister Huang Chin-cheng opens the International Conference on Biofertilizers and Biopesticides Aug. 20 in Pingtung County, southern Taiwan. (Courtesy of COA)

The International Conference on Biofertilizers and Biopesticides kicked off Aug. 20 in the southern county of Pingtung, spotlighting Taiwan’s role in promoting environmentally friendly farming techniques.
 
Co-organized by the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture and Tokyo-based Asian Productivity Organization, the four-day event involves more than 60 academics and experts from 13 countries like Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Discussions are expected to center on topics spanning commercialization, microbial biotech applications and integrated pest management technologies.
 
According to the COA, keynote speakers include Huang Jenn-wen, plant pathology professor and vice president of National Chung Hsing University in central Taiwan’s Taichung City; Venkatesh Devanur, managing director of India-headquartered agricultural biotechnology firm Agri Life; and Hans-Jakob Schaerer, senior crop sciences researcher at the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture in Switzerland.

Participants are also set to visit the COA’s agricultural R&D facility in the southern city of Kaohsiung, as well as other related institutions like the Taiwan Banana Research Institute in Pingtung. These visits will provide an opportunity to learn about the country’s advancements in biofertilizers and biopesticides.
 
The ICBB was launched in 2015 to advance the use of biotechnology solutions over harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Under the initiative, the COA and APO are hosting five seminars annually from 2016-2020 to share best practices and the latest academic findings in the field.
 
Established in 1961, the APO is an intergovernmental group of 20 countries and territories that aims to improve productivity and promote sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific. (CPY-E)