This theme was echoed by the principal speakers at the press conference:

• Mr. Pornsil Patchrintanakul - Chairman, Federation of ASEAN Feed Associations and President of the Thai Feed Mill Association
• Mr. Manat Kitprasert President of the Thai Rice Millers Association
• Mr. Henk van de Bunt – General Manager, Victam International BV
• Ms. Catelijne van Gooijer – Visitor Promotion and PR Manager, Victam International BV

Both Mr. Pornsil and Mr. Manat congratulated Victam for organising events for the animal feed and grain processing industries in Asia and that in 2016 it will be 25 years since the first Victam show was held in a hotel's car park in Bangkok. Both said that the Victam exhibitions and conferences had had significant beneficial influences on their industries in Thailand and throughout Asia/Pacific and Southern Asia. The FIAAP, VICTAM & GRAPAS events had now become the showpiece event throughout the region and where the industry met to see the latest innovations in products and services that were being introduced by the exhibitors at the shows and by the conference speakers at the many conferences that are held during the event.

It had now become Asia's foremost event for the feed and grain industries within the region.

Mr. van de Bunt thanked both Mr. Pornsil and Mr. Manat for their kind words. He then went on to explain how the feed ingredient and additive show, FIAAP works so well in Bangkok as it relates to the senior industry executives who visit VICTAM, their feed processing exhibition. Also how VICTAM relates to the rice and flour milling and grain processing show GRAPAS. With these two shows it is the auxiliary equipment such as conveyors, elevators, silos, cooler/dryers, programs and more that are used within feed, flour, rice mills, grain processing plants and biomass plants. Some of the multi-nationals that exhibit at FIAAP also produce additives for flour, etc. so here we also have a relationship between FIAAP and GRAPAS.

He went on to say that over 200 of the world's leading suppliers to the feed and grain industries will be present at the exhibitions that will be held at BITEC, Bangkok for 29 –  31 March in 2016.

Henk also explained that once again there will be a number of conferences during the event, they are as follows:

Henk also mentioned that during a previous meeting with the Thai Department of Livestock the subject of GMP had been discussed in detail and that the Department was especially pleased that there would be a free seminar devoted to this subject. The other conferences were also discussed and were met with approval.

Lastly the 25th Anniversary of Victam was mentioned by Henk. He remarked that he had been to every show in Bangkok and how the shows had progressed over the years. The first show in an hotel car park and now it was in the magnificent halls at BITEC. The shows had grown from a few hundred m2 to 1000's of m2. From about 80 small exhibition stands to well over 200 exhibitors from all over the world and many with very large stands full of equipment and staff. An amazing change. But this was to be expected as it reflected the incredible growth of the feed and grain industries throughout Asia over this period and that the growth of both the shows and the industries in Asia would continue.

At this point Mr. van de Bunt handed over to Ms. de Gooijer, Victam's new Visitor Promotion and PR Manager. She went on to explain about the ASEAN Feed Summit and also the ASEAN Feed & Rice Symposium, both of which will take place during the 2016 event. The Summit will be held in closed session for all the Presidents and Secretary Generals of the ASEAN Feed Associations under the Chairmanship of Mr. Pornsil Patchrintanakul. The ASEAN Feed & Rice Symposium is open to all registered visitors and respected authoritative speakers from the FAO, ADM, International Feed Industry Federation and more will address the audience on a wide range of topics.

Ms. Catelijne then explained that entry to the shows is free of charge and that the online registration system is now open. All you need to do is go to www.fiaap.com, www.victam.com or www.grapas.eu and click the free visitor registration button and complete the online forms. You are then ready to come to our shows.

With this the Press Conference closed after the photo sessions.

Please note that FIAAP, VICTAM & GRAPAS Asia 2016 will take place at BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand from 29 – 31 March 2016.