Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Post-conference Updates

SDI is pleased to share the success of the Organic ASIA – The Way Forward conference organised from 28th -31st October 2008 at the Sarawak Cultural Village, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.

A total of 164 delegates from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Japan, Brunei, Laos, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Australia, Italy and USA took part in this event. Delegates include those from the public & private sectors, lecturers, certification officers, senior officers, business operators, Executive Directors, senior managers, farmers, researchers, project managers and directors. Officiated by YB Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr. George Chan Hong Nam, Deputy Chief Minister (1) of Sarawak and Minister of Industrial Development and Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, the 4-day conference featured nine plenary sessions, seven concurrent workshop sessions and 12 concurrent forum sessions. Sessions included topics on innovations, productions, challenges, policy recommendations, market development, sector (both public and private) development initiatives, best practice and harmonization and equivalence in organic agriculture.

Please visit http://www.sdi.com.my/ to view all conference materials (under Organic ASIA 2008 - Conference Materials heading) as well as press releases (Latest News heading). The outputs from the discussion forums will be made available in December 2008.

SDI would like to extend our sincere appreciation for all the delegates for your participation. On behalf of the Conference Secretariat of the Organic ASIA 2008 Conference and the government of Sarawak, thank you and we look forward to collaborating with all of you again in the near future.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Event Cancellation

Dear readers,

The Organic & Natural Products Fair scheduled on the 11th - 12th October 2008 has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.We regret any inconvenience caused and hope that you would continue to support us in our future endeavours.

On a different note,interested individuals are encourage to register for the Organic ASIA 2008 conference.Register online or download the conference brochure via www.sdi.com.my

We look forward to welcoming you at our conference!

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

EVENT UPDATES

The Organic ASIA 2008 Conference will feature some of the best and prominent names in the organic industry:

Dr. Hans Herren (Keynote Speaker)
President, Millenium Institute, Arlington, Virginia, USA

Ulrich Hoffmann (Opening Remarks)
Head of Section, Trade & Sustainable Development, International Trade Division, United Nations Conference on Trade & Development (UNCTAD)

Katherine DiMatteo (Opening Remarks)
President, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM)

Andre Leu
Chair, Organic Federation of Australia & IFOAM World Board Member, Australia

Wanlop Pichpongsa
President, Thai Organic Trade Association, Bangkok Thailand

Xi Yunguan
Nanjing Global Organic Food Research & Consulting Centre, Nanjing China

Sununtar Setboonsarng
Senior Researcher, Asia Development Bank Institute (ADBI), Tokyo Japan

Miguel Braganza
Organic Farming Association of India (OFAI), Goa India

Prof. Chong Hyuk Suh
President, Korea Organic Agriculture Institute, Seoul South Korea

Proposed topics for Plenary and Concurrent Workshop Sessions:

DAY 1, 28th October 2008
  • Innovations in Organic Production & Processing: Development Challenges and Prospects for the Region
  • Sharing of Production Challenges, Successful Methods and Techniques
  • Key development challenges, action and policy recommendations for enhancement of production, productivity and product quality
  • Social Programme: Theme Gala Dinner

DAY 2, 29th October 2008

  • Wholesaling & Retailing
  • Supply chain organizing and fair trade
  • Sharing of Access to Market; Certification & Regulations; Other Guarantee Systems and Market Communications
  • Market trends; key development challenges, action and policy recommendations for enhancement of local markets, fair trade and competition

DAY 3, 30th October 2008

  • Public Sector Development Initiatives for the Organic Sector
  • Best Practice for Organic Policy & Building Sustainable Organic Sectors
  • Social Programme (Tentative): Visit to Sarawak AGRO Fest 2008, State Indoor Stadium

DAY 4, 31st October 2008

  • Harmonisation & Equivalence in Organic Agriculture
  • Review of Regional Collaboration Follow-up Proposal
Register online now or download the conference brochure via www.sdi.com.my

Friday, September 19, 2008

Organic & Natural Products Fair

Day/Date:
Saturday,11 October 2008 - Sunday,12 October 2008
Venue:
Events Area,Level 1,Green Heights Mall Kuching
Event Opening Hours:
11.00am - 5.00pm daily
Tentative Activities:
Educational talks, table top exhibitions, cooking demonstrations and others
Free Admission.Open to general public.
For further information,please contact the organiser at 082-415 484/416 484 or email rwong@sdi.com.my/mgider@sdi.com.my

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Talk on Organic Value & Quality Assurance

In conjunction with the Organic ASIA 2008 conference,SDI will be organising a talk on Organic Value & Quality Assurance on 3rd September 2008,9.30am at the AZAM Conference Room.

This talk will be presented by Mr.Ong Kung Wai,IFOAM World Board member and President of Organic Alliance Malaysia.Highlights will include topics on common concern related to organic products,challenges faced by Malaysian farmers in production,product processing and marketing as well as the current global and regional organic market potential.

For registration information,please visit the following link -
http://www.sdi.com.my/conference/Invitation_Letter.pdf

or contact Rosalind Wong/Marcella Gider at 082-415484/416484.

Seats are limited.Please register by 29th August 2008.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Information on Sarawak

Map of Malaysia

Photo Source: http://www.malaysiamap.org/

Map of Kuching, Sarawak

Photo Source: http://ecycle.com.my/images/Map-Sarawak.jpg

How to get to Kuching, Sarawak
Kuching is connected to the international air transport network via Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Brunei and Singapore. Airlines operating in Sarawak include Malaysia Airlines, Air Asia, Silk Air, Batavia Air, Royal Brunei Airlines and MAS Wings.

Immigration & Visa Requirements
All international visitors and non-Sarawakians are required to fill in an immigration form upon arrival. For more information on visa requirements, please visit the website for Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia at www.kln.gov.my

How to get to Sarawak Cultural Village from Kuching International Airport (KIA)
A taxi coupon can be bought at the Taxi Coupon Counter located on the ground floor of the airport. The fare from KIA to the Village is estimated at RM50 one way and RM18 one way from KIA to the city centre. Car rental companies, AMI Car Rental and Hertz, operate from the airport for those who are interested in renting.

Information Source:
Sarawak Convention Bureau brochure and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuching_International_Airport

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Conference Programme & Input Participation

Please visit the following link for the updated and latest Conference Programme and Input Participation:

Conference Programme:
http://www.sdi.com.my/conference/SarawakConf_ProgOutline.pdf

Input Participation: http://www.sdi.com.my/conference/OrgAsia_ConfProg.pdf

Be a part of this exciting event and register now! This will be an excellent opportunity for all to come together and exchange information on all things organic.