BANGKOK: Two renowned experts have been confirmed to speak at the Cover Crops (Forage and Amenities) technical session to be held as part of the Asian Seed Congress in Bangkok this month.
This year’s Cover Crops session will take place 11am-12.30pm on November 15 at the Sala Thai Ballroom on the fifth floor of the Congress Venue (
click here for full program)
Cover crops, which mainly include the forages, have the versatility to be used in different ways in the tropics and sub-tropics. They have both direct and indirect effects in increasing resources and land use efficiency. Their integrations with crops, particularly for legume forages, can minimize external inputs. Cover crops have long been regarded to improve the soil quality resulting in better crop production in following seasons, particularly in degraded soil stretches. The Asia Pacific region accounts for more than 20 percent of the global forage crops area.
The global forage seed market is driven by factors such as growing demand for dairy products, increased livestock production and a rise in meat consumption. Industrialization of the livestock sector is helping the forage seed sector to acquire a greater market share. Increased meat consumption is fueling the growth, particularly for additive feed industry. With demand for dairy and animal products growing, particularly due to shrinkage of land for animal grazing, and increased per capita milk consumption in the region, and fodder deficit, are indicators of the growth potential for the sector. India and China are major growth potential markets.
Dr. P. K. Ghosh, (former Director, Indian Grasslands & Fodder Research Institute, India), an internationally known scientist in this important sector with more than 25 years of experience with these important crops, in his presentation, ‘Forage Seed Sector in Asia: Opportunities and Threats’, in the Asian Seed Congress 2017 session of the APSA Special Interest Group – Cover Crops (15 November), also observes that the horizon is much clearer than ever for the growth of forage seed sector in Asia with the jubilient growth in livestock sector due to increased milk and meat production and consumption. The surge in imports of forage seeds by most of the Asian countries, indicate the impending opportunity for growth. Dr. Ghosh in his presentation will also discuss the main obstacles for the development of the sector and ways to integrate the private seed sector in grassland development.
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Dr. P. K. Ghosh[/caption]
Mr. Prabhakar Babu (Deputy General Manager Forages for Advanta Seeds, A UPL Group Company) will present on “New Generation Forage Crops - the Great Opportunity in Asia”. Mr. Babu is responsible for global forage program development and building the forage portfolio and strategy across many brands. He works as a consultant for forage development programs and is a lecturer on “Modern Forages and Conservation Technologies” at premium dairy institutes across Asia. This year he has been presented with All India Forage Production and Conservation Symposium Award. His expertise is recognized internationally and his industry insights and interviews have been published in a number of agriculture and industry magazines including Seed Times and Dairy India.
G. Prabhakar Babu
Programs have also been announced for several other sessions as follows:
