2nd National Conference on Food Industries Development in Myanmar

Ken Buckle

The 2^nd National Conference on Food Industries Development in Myanmar was held at Myanmar Event Park in Yangon, Myanmar on 24-25 September 2015, in conjunction with the 2^nd International Processing and Packaging Exhibition in Myanmar (ProPak Myanmar 2015) held at the same venue on 24-26 September 2015. Over 4000 delegates attended the Propak Exhibition, and about 100 delegates attended the conference. The conference was organised by the Food Science and Technology Association (FoSTA) of Myanmar, with President Daw Win Win Kyi heading the organising committee.

The Exhibition was opened by His Excellency U Myint Swe, Chief Minister, Yangon Regional Government, while the ribbon cutting ceremony was undertaken by Chief Minister Swe; U Sein Tin Win, Speaker of the Yangon Region of Hlittaw; U Win Aung, President of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI); U Zaw Min Kyi, President of the Myanmar Industry Association; Daw Win Win Kyi, President of FoSTA; and Justin Pau, General Manager of Bangkok Exhibition Services Ltd, who conducted the exhibition.

The exhibition consisted of 170 exhibitors from 18 countries, including processing and packaging equipment as well as products locally grown and processed. There were five international pavilions from China, France, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, and a range of industry seminars and presentations.

Exhibition opening and ribbon cutting (l to r): Justin Pau, Win Win Kyi,

Chief Minister U Myint Swe, U Win Aung, U Zaw Min Win

Packaging machinery exhibit

Local food products

Conference Day 1

The opening session on Day 1 was chaired by FoSTA Patron U Zaw Min Win, and featured Dr Ken Buckle, Emeritus Professor UNSW, Sydney, Australia, who spoke on “Can food science reduce world hunger?”;  Dr Churdchai Cheowtirakul, Dean of Biotechnology at Assumption University, Bangkok, Thailand, whose topic was “Gateway of future collaboration in food science research between AEC countries’; and Dr Alastair Hicks, Academy Fellow who spoke on “Safe value-added agricultural food products using risk-based management”.

FoSTA President Win Win Kyi (2nd from left) with
international speakers (l to r) Ken Buckle, Alastair
Hicks, Duranee Edwards and Churdchai Cheowtirakul

The afternoon session, chaired by FoSTA Patron Dr Cho Win Maw, featured four invited speakers within the theme ”Strengthening food industries development in Myanmar by government sectors”:

·      Dr Tun Zaw, Myanmar Food and Drug Administration, “Food law in Myanmar”;

·      Daw Aye Aye Win, Ministry of Industry, “Small and medium food industries development in Myanmar” (presented by one of her staff);

·      Daw Myo Myo Htike, Consumer Affairs Division, Ministry of Commerce, “Consumer protection law in Myanmar”;

·      Daw Phaing Phaing Zaw, Ministry of Cooperatives, “Micro and small food enterprise development in Myanmar”.

Following the conference sessions, Bangkok Exhibition Services invited FoSTA representatives, conference presenters and exhibitors to dinner at a local restaurant.

Conference Day 2

The opening session on Day 2 of the conference was chaired by FoSTA Vice-President U Hnin Oo, and featured four speakers:

·      Dr Kyaw Nyein Aye, FoSTA Secretary, on Myanmar’s participation in the ASEAN Food Quiz Bowl competition held at the ASEAN Food Conference in Manila, Philippines in June 2015;

·      Daw Tin Myo Myo, FoSTA Human Resource Manager, on “Observations on the Thai [FoSTAT] Quiz Bowl Competition 2015”;

·      Daw Tin Swe Aye, FoSTA Advisor, on “What are the healthy edible oils in Myanmar, and how we select”; and

·      Daw San San Myint, UNIDO Food Science Consultant, “Activities of FSSC [Food Safety22000 System Certificate] implementation on food and fishery industries”.

The afternoon session was chaired by FoSTA President Win Win Kyi, and featured three international speakers:

·      Dr Darunee Edwards, Food Science and Technology Association of Thailand (FoSTAT), “The role of food science and technology in the development of food security”;

·      Dr Dilip Kumar, NAPA Peroject, FAO Myanmar, “Food processing value addition – a national perspective”;

·      Dr Lee Bung Chan, Yangon Technological University/Korea International Cooperation Agency, “Food products export is competitive power”.

Propak Myanmar 2016 will be held on 22-24 September 2016 at Myanmar Event Park (MEP), Yangon, Myanmar, and will include the 3^rd International Processing and Packaging Exhibition for Myanmar, as well as the 3^rd National Conference on Food Industries Development in Myanmar.

The author sincerely thanks President Win Win Kyi and members of FoSTA Myanmar for their hospitality and friendship during his visit. On Sunday 27 September the author presented a talk on “Risk analysis in food safety and food regulation: the FSANZ approach” to FoSTA Myanmar members at Yangon Technological University, Yangon.

Dr Ken Buckle is Emeritus Professor, Food Science and Technology Group, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, Australia (e-mail: k.buckle@unsw.edu.au). He is a Fellow and former President (2001-03) of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology, a Fellow of the [US] Institute of Food Technologists, and a Fellow and former President (1995-97) of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology. He is chair of the Editorial Advisory Board (2006-) of The World of Food Science (www.worldfoodscience.org).