May 11, 2021 from 8:30 a.m. to 13:30 p.m. – The Research Institute of Strategy and Coordination for Northeastern Development of Khon Kaen University held the 3rd Isan Cricket Conference under the subject, “WHAT’S NEXT FUTURE FOOD 2021”. Assoc. Prof. Charnchai Panthongviriyakul, M.D., President of Khon Kaen University presided over the opening session and conveyed the opening address. The Onsite Conference was attended by 40 participants at the Learning Center Room 1301, Khon Kaen University Library. The conference was also available online via Zoom as well as life broadcast via Facebook: Safe Crickets, KKU-TSRI, in which over 100 people joined.
The Research Institute of Strategy and Coordination for Northeastern Development of Khon Kaen University has implemented the project for promoting cricket farmers in the Northeast so that the production will meet the standard and safety criteria. The project has been supported by the Thailand Science, Research and Innovation Promotion Committee (TSRI) since 2019. In order to report about the progress, give the conclusion and provide a venue for learning and sharing among cricket farmers, academicians, researchers and entrepreneurs, the Research Institute of Strategy and Coordination for Northeastern Development thus organized this conference. After the opening address by Assoc. Prof. Charnchai Panthongviriyakul, M.D., President of Khon Kaen University the following session featured special talks by experts in each fields along the supply chain of cricket farming and industry.
Assoc. Prof. Charnchai Panthongviriyakul, M.D., President of Khon Kaen University said that the alternative industrial protein food from insects has a promising future in the foreign market. Isan cricket farmers and people have expertise in crickets and have consumed crickets as food for a long time. Therefore, there is the local knowledge, which at present, meets the needs of the modern market. It is a good chance to upgrade the competitive capability of the farmers in the Northeast and strengthen their value adding competency and continuous and sustainable incomes.
“All through the past 2 years, the Research Institute of Strategy and Coordination for Northeastern Development has been working with the cricket farmers in the Northeast, promoting safe and standard production that will bring high impact to the region and meet the national policy. The implementation also corresponds to the Conference topic of “WHAT’S NEXT FUTURE FOOD 2021” today, which will be the summarization of knowledge, research and practices for the public. We are grateful to the Science, Research and Innovation Promotion Committee (TSRI) and the National Research Council (NRTC) for the research support, and the organizations participating in the activities and propelling impacts at a broad circle. Khon Kaen University is happy to support the mission and pleased to have academics, government, industrial and business sectors, farmer groups joining to promote crickets to be a future world protein source,” KKU President said.
Assoc. Prof. Rangsan Niamsanit, Director of the Research Institute of Strategy and Coordination for Northeastern Development of Khon Kaen University disclosed that the next step in the development of Isan crickets is to upgrade the farmers receiving GAP according to the business plan and the expertise of each area towards GMP, primary manufacturing, manufacturing into protein powder, products, cosmetics, health products. All of these depend on cooperation from strong community enterprises and entrepreneurs with small areas to local industry. Then, the regional supply chain can be built before the national supply chain that leads to more exports.
“I think after Covid-19, the capacities of the country related to health foods will be more and more realized, for these are the outstanding points of our country. I also think that working collaboratively is very important. Universities should support integration of work, building linking maps among agriculture, trading, industries, financial institutions, research institutions and departments and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For exporting, we should have the target countries, for each country has different standards and requirements for products. We will use the market as the leading channel and study the needs of each zone before promoting farmers of each region to produce their products accordingly. I don’t want crickets to be under the same policy all over the country. What a region is outstanding in should be promoted. For example, Isan and the North have expertise in crickets, then crickets should be promoted here. The Center or other regions have their own fields of expertise. The Ministry of Agriculture has all of the information in this respect,” the Director of the Research Institute of Strategy and Coordination for Northeastern Development said.
The Conference featured talks by the following experts, for instance:
Isan Crickets towards the World Crickets by Prof. Yupa Hanbunsong, Ph.D., Head of Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University.
GAP Cricket Farms – Easy or Difficult? By Asst. Prof. Pornnarong Channuwong, Ph.D., and Asst. Prof. Nayathat Tanmit, Ph.D., Faculty of Architecture, Khon Kaen University.
Cricket Economics by Asst. Prof. Yaowarat Sriwaranan, Ph.D., Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University.
Life of Cricket Farmer Group Leaders by Mr. Phet Wongtham, Chairman of a Community Enterprise Cricket Farming Sufficiency Economy Group, Ban Saen To; and Miss Orawan Wothong, , Chairperson of a Community Enterprise Cricket Farming Ban Hong Hee, Village No. 14.
Cricket Farming Start Up by Miss Lalalit SukhonRatanasuk, DVM, from Lalalit Agri-Foods, Co. Ltd.,
Israel Experience to Chaiyaphum Cricket by Mrs. Ingkarat Thanyasiratanarom, All Bugs Co. Ltd.
Regional business to World Cricket by Mr. Danai Siriburee, AcademicAdvisor of Malaeng Ruay Partnership.
Cricket Business Model toward Food Industry by Dr. Busakorn Leejoeywara, College of Graduate Study in Management, Khon Kaen University.
For those interested, please watch the 3rd Isan Cricket Conference, “WHAT’S NEXT FUTURE FOOD 2021” at:
https://fb.watch/5q2mUABXHx/
