As the most-attended edition in the Asian Seed Congress 30-year history, the 2024 and attracted strong interest from local and national media were evident, with representatives from Hainan and Chinese state media attending the Inaugural Ceremony and Press Conference on December 2. The event attracted at least 50 media professionals, resulting in dozens of independent written articles and promotional video reports across Chinese and English-language media. The narrative focus emphasized the congress's role as a hub for fostering international collaboration and innovation within the global seed industry. Outlets like Xinhua and China Daily highlighted the event's significance in promoting business opportunities and advancing agricultural technologies, with a specific focus on Asia-Pacific's leadership in the sector. The inclusion of organic reporting, alongside republished press releases, underscores the event's credibility and appeal to diverse audiences, from industry insiders to policymakers. Unique regional perspectives, such as Pakistan's take on hybrid rice as a transformative agricultural solution, further enriched the narrative. Additionally, there was significant interest and focus on the seed market size and its economic potential, with many reports drawing from APSA's press kit figures. Local media particularly highlighted the quantifiable economic impact, underlining the importance of such data in shaping future industry strategies. Despite limited attendance by international press, due in part to complexities surrounding media visas and budget constraints, the event received coverage in several international press outlets. This included Seed Quest and aggregated reports republished from original Chinese articles by Malaysian, Japanese, and Pakistani partnering media organizations. Platforms like Seed Quest catered to the global seed industry audience, while publications from countries like Malaysia, Japan, and Pakistan provided localized insights. Reports in Japanese, such as those linked to the Hainan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Japan-based URLs, emphasized Asia-Pacific's leadership in seed trade and innovation. Meanwhile, Pakistani outlets like The Nation and Daily Times highlighted the congress theme and its relevance to Pakistan's agricultural progress. Local and regional media, such as HICN News and Hi Hainan, contributed dynamic, ground-level insights, featuring delegate interviews and spotlighting Hainan's strategic position in the global seed trade. This diverse and widespread media engagement reinforced the congress's international appeal and its critical role in shaping the future of agriculture.
Seed Quest: Republished official press release: SeedQuest - Central information website for the global seed industry
Xinhua coverage, including organic reporting and references from press kit, via Global Times: Global companies seek business opportunities at Asian Seed Congress - Global Times, & Via Big News Network: Global companies seek business opportunities at Asian Seed Congress & via Malaysia Sun: CHINA-SANYA-ASIAN SEED CONGRESS (CN) & via XHnewsapi: Global companies seek business opportunities at Asian Seed Congress & via Belt & Road Portal: China Focus: Global companies seek business opportunities at Asian Seed Congress - BELT AND ROAD PORTAL
China Daily: Draws some facts from press kit with organic reporting, original quotes from manish, francine and delegates: Spotlight on country's key role in global agriculture - Chinadaily.com.cn
The Nation Pakistan: Pakistan industry perspective, mentions the congress theme, quotes a Pakistani delegate: Hybrid rice seed a game-changer for Pakistan in agriculture sector, and Same story as above but via Daily Times: 'Hybrid rice seed a game-changer for Pakistan' - Daily Times
Media News Outreach: Draws data, facts from our press release, with some organic reporting, e.g. mention of Manish’s presentation on AI, etc.: Asian Seed Congress: Asia-Pacific Region Leads Global Seed Trade, Innovation | Media OutReach Newswire APAC:
Via Social Media Hai Hainan TV:
Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City:
Sanya City
HICN News: A portal dedicated to news tracking progress on Hainan’s Free Trade Port:
ASC 2024 Social Media Summary:
Two main hashtags were used to track posts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X: #ASC2024Sanya and #SeedYouInSanya. Throughout the year, APSA made 91 posts using #ASC2024Sanya and 65 posts with #SeedYouInSanya. Including posts shared by other users, it is estimated that no fewer than 200 posts were made about the Congress by social media netizens. These posts can be individually tracked by searching the hashtags on the respective platforms. Using the free version of the popular hashtag tracking tool BrandMentions, as of January 6, #ASC2024Sanya garnered at least 111 interactions and reached more than 40,000 users, while #SeedYouInSanya reached over 32,000 users. This digital footprint reflects the event's broad social media engagement and its resonance within the global seed industry.