The ‘2023 Agricultural Food Tech Startup Entrepreneurship Fair (AFRO 2023)’ kicked off on July 7 (Wednesday) at COEX Hall A in Seoul.
Hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and organized by the Korea Agricultural Technology Promotion Agency, NH Nonghyup, COEX, and the Korea Food Tech Council, this expo was prepared to support promising companies in the field of ag tech and food tech to leap beyond unicorns to decacons. . It was planned as an agri-food tech expo specialized in the startup ecosystem, such as investment, market, technology, and networking, beyond simply displaying and selling products on site.
This expo, held for the first time in Korea in the field of agri-food tech and the largest in scale, will be held on the 250th, with a total of 28 organizations participating, including promising start-ups in the agri-food field such as Agtech, Foodtech, and Green Bio, as well as large companies, investment companies, and public institutions. It runs for 3 days until (Fri). The exhibition hall consists of exhibition booths for each future agricultural theme, such as Agtech, Foodtech, and Green Bio, and various side events using a special stage and conference hall are also held.
Rural Development Administration Deputy Director Yoon Jong-cheol, who attended the opening ceremony on the 26th, said, “I sincerely congratulate the first start of AFRO 2023, the first specialized agri-food start-up fair in Korea. We hope that this expo will spread the field supply of agriculture and technology.”
Deputy General Manager Yoon Jong-cheol mentioned that crisis and opportunity coexist in our agriculture. Recently, the importance of food security has increased due to frequent climate change and international political instability, and the shortage of rural labor has deepened due to low birth rate and aging population. Meanwhile, as ICT innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data are applied to various fields, it is becoming an opportunity to promote the creation of new industries and the digital transformation of existing industries.
Deputy Director Yoon emphasized that the Rural Development Administration is contributing to the development of agriculture and rural areas by leading agricultural technology innovation, such as smart farms that incorporate the 4th industrial revolution technology into agriculture. We are developing innovative technologies for agriculture, field agricultural machinery, and green bio convergence and spreading them to the field.”
“In addition, the Rural Development Administration is focusing on securing food sovereignty through the stable production of powdered rice and vitalization of related industries, and the development and distribution of domestic varieties such as wheat and soybeans. In addition, we are supporting stable production and stable supply and demand of agricultural and livestock products by developing agricultural production, supply, and management technologies, spreading eco-friendly and safe agricultural products production technologies, and developing carbon neutrality and climate change response technologies.”
On the other hand, Rural Development Administration is expanding rural revitalization and on-site support. To this end, Deputy Manager Yoon Jong-cheol, who announced plans to revitalize local agriculture, support technology for difficulties in the field, and strengthen cooperation in agricultural technology with Korea, said, “It leads to exports, and the start-up participating here today is the main character. I believe that this fair will show the present and future, and I hope it will be a meaningful place to spread agricultural technology that will lead the future.”
Lastly, Deputy Director Yoon said, “As agricultural technology is attracting attention as a future technology for sustainability, we will diligently support the Rural Development Administration’s excellent technology to expand to agriculture and rural areas through AFRO 2023.” Startups are a growth engine for innovation in agriculture and rural areas. And I hope that today’s place will become an opportunity to soar by attaching wings to the growth engine. The Rural Development Administration will also actively support technological innovation of startups with excellent agriculture and technology.”
Meanwhile, at AFRO 2023, the largest Agtech & Foodtech event in Korea, domestic startups with global growth potential in Agtech, Foodtech, and Green Bio will exhibit products and services to solve various problems in the agriculture and food industries, Various programs such as conferences discussing the present and future of Agtech and Foodtech and investment briefings (IR competitions) are held. This exhibition is hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and supervised by the Korea Agricultural Technology Promotion Agency, NH Nonghyup, COEX, and the Korea Food Tech Council.