Agri-business forum opens in Beijing

Officials, experts and entrepreneurs in the field of agriculture got together at the 2nd China International Agri-Business Forum organized by CEIBS and UNESCO-CHIC Harmony, which was held in Beijing on May 11, 2013. Event co-organizers were the China Agriculture Industry Chamber of Commerce (CAICC) and China Good Agri-Products Development & Service Association. The theme was "Value Creation and Pricing Power along the Industrial Chain: The Key to Success in a New Era of Agricultural Development". [Huang Shuo / chinadaily.com.cn]

In order to keep pace with the rapid development of modern agriculture, it's imperative for China to build robust systems for production management, and food safety, and to develop highly trained, professional managers to lead Chinese agribusinesses. Hence, officials, experts and entrepreneurs in the field of agriculture got together at the 2nd China International Agri-Business Forum organized by CEIBS and UNESCO-CHIC Harmony, which was held in Beijing on May 11, 2013. Event co-organizers were the China Agriculture Industry Chamber of Commerce (CAICC) and China Good Agri-Products Development & Service Association. The theme was “Value Creation and Pricing Power along the Industrial Chain: The Key to Success in a New Era of Agricultural Development”.

The event began with welcome addresses by CEIBS Vice President and Dean, Hellmut Schütte and. Chen Zemin, Chairman of the China Agriculture Industry Chamber of Commerce. Dean Schütte thanked the event sponsors for their support. As he gave the audience a general introduction to the speakers and program of the day, he explained that applying business and management principles to the agriculture sector is a relatively new phenomenon in China, and thus learning platforms such as today's forum were an important tool to assist in the development and modernization of the sector.

In his welcome address, Mr Chen Zemin underscored the importance of providing education and knowledge transfer to all involved in the agri-business sector. China's agricultural development lags far behind that of other countries, Mr Chen said. In order for China's agriculture industry to compete on a global scale, reforms and modernization are urgently needed, he added.