Thai labs build capabilities in agricultural nanotechnology
(Nanowerk News) Thailand's National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), and Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives have signed a research collaborative MoU to identify and initiate agricultural research activities. The initial phase of the collaboration will focus on nanotechnology particularly in the area of food packaging and encapsulation technology for control release of fertilizers.
Commenting on the development, Prof Sirirurg Songsivilai, Executive Director of NANOTEC, Thailand, said, "The application of nanotechnology is diverse. It is predicted that nanotechnology will have major impacts on the entire food industry, changing the way food is produced, processed, packaged, transported, and consumed. Therefore, as an agriculture-based economy, it is important that relevant ministries and research agencies work together to build knowledge in the area of nanotechnology in agriculture."
"The research collaboration initiative will be a positive experience for our researchers especially since the use of nanotechnology in agriculture in Thailand is still considered ground breaking discovery, but it will come in a dramatic way," said Mr Somchai Charnnarongkul. Director General, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives
The research collaboration will focus on research and development of agricultural technology, sharing of human resources and infrastructure, knowledge exchange, and human resource training. In addition, the collaboration will also look at areas related to intellectual property of research output. Dr Chamorn Chawengkijwanich from the NanoHybrid Laboratory will lead the research team from NANOTEC for nano food packaging technology.
The duration of the collaboration will be for five years starting from July 12, 2010 to July 11, 2015.
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