The 23rd New AG International Annual Conference and Exhibition got off to a bustling start today in Bangkok. The event returned to the Thai capital, having been held there in 2012. A day of workshops preceded the opening day.

The keynote speaker was Professor Michael Tanchum. He treated delegates to an overview of the market opportunities in Southeast Asia for agribusiness in the context of the stated aims of many countries in the region to strive for food self-sufficiency. “These countries will need your inputs,” he told the audience. “Anything that will increase efficiency or decrease abiotic stress or pest pressure will be needed.”

CS Liew, Managing Director of Pacific Agriscience, then gave an overview on M&A and investment in Asia. Acquisition is one of the best ways to gain market access, he explained, but he said it is necessary to manage the expectations of investors. “There’s no hockey curve in agriculture,” he remarked.

The opening session finished with a market update on value-added fertilizers from Vatren Jurin, VP Product Development at consultancy DunhamTrimmer. Jurin gave the company’s current growth rate projection for the market of 6.76%. “For those of you who understand fertilizer markets, that’s a nice CAGR,” he said. He added that Asia was the largest region with 38% of a total market value of $19 bn, which is expected to reach $30 bn by 2030. Among the trends that he discussed was nano-based fertilizers and sugar analogs that can boost photosynthesis. “We see more valorisation of waste in formulations,” he explained.

Afternoon sessions
With the exhibition in full swing, the conference resumed in the afternoon with two tracks – one for specialty fertilizers and the other for biologicals.

In the specialty fertilizer track, Bartlomiej Aniola, the Export Area Manager for ADOB/Nouryon, gave a presentation outlining two extensions the company has made to its calcium nitrate product line – one product has eliminated ammonium in its specification, as well as not needing an anti-caking agent; and the other includes CN+glycine. Aniola said the company believes it is the first calcium nitrate product to contain a biostimulant.

Other innovations presented included a nitrification inhibitor that is better suited to the acidic soils of Australia, by Professor Uta Wille from the University of Melbourne; and the use of organic osmolytes to drive sugar translocation in stressed plants, by Barbara Auer from Belgian company Jodoco.

On product standards in China, Bill Duan from Leili Group discussed a new standard for water-soluble fertilizers containing alginate (seaweed). Duan confirmed that the new standard was an essential step in making it become a regulation.

Workshops
Regulation was covered in the first day of workshops. Knoell’s Dr Piyatida Pukclai, Regional Sales & Regulatory Policy Manager (Asia-Pacific), gave a review of the different regulatory schemes in Aisa for biological products. She highlighted one relevant to the location of the conference: “In Thailand, biostimulants are not registered under the Fertilizer Act or classified as hazardous substances under the Hazardous Substances Act. Instead, they are regulated as label-controlled products under the Consumer Protection Act B.E. 2522 and its amendments,” she told New AG International.

Vipin Saini, CEO of the Biological Agri Solutions Association of India (BASAI), described the chronology of regulation for biopesticides and biostimulants in India. The scheme for biopesticides has existed since the 1980s, but for biostimulants it is more recent. Draft regulations for biostimulants were made in 2019 with an informal draft circulated to industry associations in 2024. On 17 March 2025, provisional registrations were issued an extension until 16 June 2025. What is happening on the 16th June with regards to biostimulant regulation in India?

“This is basically with respect to the Provisional Registration or G3 certification issued to those manufacturing/importing or selling off products 3 years prior to 23.02.21. The industry is agreeable to BASAI’s proposal to invoke certain clauses and precedences for the continued sales of the products post the expiry date till the shelf life of the product and to meet the requirements of the current Kharif season,” Saini told New AG International.

On tomorrow’s agenda
The event continues tomorrow where there will be a presentation on a new organic fertilizer from biogas plant waste, plus new applications for microalgae, humic acid on wheat, and a keynote on agricultural developments in the Philippines by former Philippine Secretary of Agriculture William Dar.