Advancing Taiwan's Global Presence Through ICC Partnership
ICC, headquartered in Vienna, Austria, has established itself as one of the world's leading international grain organizations. Its membership comprises grain processing experts focused on advancing processing technology and testing standards while fostering industry development through international cooperation. Since joining ICC as a group member in 2005 with representatives from industry, academia, and research sectors, Taiwan has steadily expanded its international presence, achieving association member status in 2010. Regular participation in annual meetings and conferences has enabled Taiwan to maintain strong global connections while promoting international exchange in both academic and industrial spheres. Notably, two AFA research innovations—"Rice Freshness Detection" and "Origin Verification Technology"—have gained ICC recognition as international standard testing methods, significantly enhancing Taiwan's global competitiveness in rice quality testing and variety identification.
The conference marked Taiwan's fifth collaboration with ICC in its series of quadrennial international conferences, which consistently attract 100-200 domestic and international experts and scholars. This year's event welcomed cereal food experts from 13 countries, including Japan, Canada, India, Spain, Greece, France, the United States, Thailand, Austria, Sweden, Italy, Germany, and Australia. These experts shared cutting-edge technologies and research findings across the spectrum of grain cultivation, processing, and market promotion, facilitating valuable cross-national knowledge exchange.
One Health Approach Drives Industry Innovation
The conference centered on the concept of "one health," connecting various stages of the rice and grain value chain from cultivation through processing to product development. The program featured keynote speeches addressing "Challenges in the Grain Food Value Chain," "Current Status and Prospects of Taiwan's Grain Industry," and "One Health and Agriculture." GFOH24 covered six major areas: diverse rice applications, whole grain foods, safety and traceability, innovative processing, health and nutrition functionality, and agricultural net-zero initiatives, demonstrating the grain industry's diverse development potential. The opening ceremony facilitated meaningful international exchanges between ICC President Dr. Matthäus, NGO Affairs Committee Director General Chen Kang-I from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Hu Jong-I, and Dean Lin Yu-Pin from National Taiwan University with grain experts from around the world.
The conference program also included poster presentations, exhibitions highlighting Taiwan's rice and grain research achievements, and research paper competitions. These activities successfully stimulated industry innovation in grain technology, encouraged student research, promoted awareness of grain products, and facilitated direct dialogue with internationally renowned experts and scholars, helping domestic industries broaden their global perspective and develop sustainable business models.
Showcasing Industry Strength and Sustainable Vision
During the conference, Deputy Minister Hu Jong-I emphasized that the event served not only as an international showcase for Taiwan's grain industry but also as a crucial platform for technical innovation and cooperative exchange. The Ministry expressed confidence that the expert and scholarly interactions would help address global food challenges, mitigate the impact of international food price fluctuations, create new consumer opportunities, and showcase Taiwan's rice industry expertise to international markets. These professional exchanges are expected to inject fresh innovative momentum into Taiwan's grain industry, expand international perspectives, and advance the sector toward new milestones in sustainable development.
