July traditionally sees preparations underway for cereal and some vegetable harvests for farmers, and for overseas travel as scientists attend conferences to share research progress with international colleagues. Engaging with this international dimension is going to be increasingly important for our farming and agri-business, particularly where the newly-harvested crops become part of global supply chains.
Our Agri-Tech Week initiative has always been the cornerstone of our activities to promote our members’ innovation activities and top quality agricultural production on an international platform, and we are looking to raise the bar. As well as showcasing home-grown activities, we’re also going to be working hard to connect our members with best-in-class ideas, practices and innovations from key overseas markets. For example, our keynote speaker at REAP 2017 will be talking about her pioneering work on no-till agriculture in Argentina.
A Two-Way Street
Now, more than ever, it is critical to show the world that the UK is “open for business,” working on a global scale to build relationships, collaborations and partnerships with overseas customers, clients and suppliers.
With a series of events planned to help inform and advise about doing business in key international markets such as Africa, China and Australia, we are also working hard to provide a warm welcome to those from overseas who are coming to the UK and engaging with us. One of our most recent members, Scarab Solutions, has been active in South America and has now set up its UK offices in Cambridge. We look forward to helping embed them in the wider UK agri-tech ecosystem as they build their UK activities.
A Helping Hand
Doing business overseas isn’t always easy. The UK Government’s Department for International Trade helps UK organisations find a soft landing and gain a foothold, when they start to explore international opportunities. Activities nationally (Agri-Tech Organisation), locally (International Trade Advisers), and overseas (Desk Officers) include overseas missions and inward buyer missions helping you to connect with market intelligence and introductions to potential partners.
Showcasing our Excellence
The UK has a strong attendance at India’s Agritex conference in September, one of the country’s leading events for the industry, which will be held in Hyderabad. We’ll be there, helping to promote the excellence of our members’ production, research and technology development expertise and bringing back new ideas and opportunities for links with India. Look out for our “Agri-Tech In Australia” event in October and more on doing business in China in early 2018.