Bangkok Produce Merchandising Public Company Limited, a sustainable supplier of feed corn to Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CP Foods), operates a Traceability Operations Room equipped with real-time satellite imagery data to identify and monitor hotspots in corn plantation plots daily. The aim is to eliminate crop burning within its corn supply chain, guaranteeing that the company sources feed raw material from areas committed to zero-burn practices. This endeavor aligns with the government’s efforts to combat PM 2.5 pollution.
With a commitment to aligning with CP Group policy, which strictly prohibits the purchase and importation of corn products from deforested and crop-burning areas, Bangkok Produce Merchandising has established a Traceability Operations Room. This facility provides the company with daily updated data on hotspots occurring in corn planting plots. The Traceability Operations Room leverages satellite imaging technologies from three satellites orbit the planet, integrated with a database of corn planting plot coordinates registered by farmers in the traceability system. This data is processed and visualized using Power BI, enabling the company to promptly detect burning incidents and identify farm owners in real-time. It facilitates daily monitoring of burning statuses, allowing company staff and corn collectors to promptly engage with farmers, communicate, and encourage the adoption of zero-burning practices. Additionally, it includes a one-year halt purchase measure for areas with repeated burning incidents.
Woraphot Suratwisit, Vice President of Bangkok Produce Merchandising said Bangkok Produce Merchandising’s corn supply chain covers over 2 million rai, with more than 40,000 farmers registered in the company’s corn traceability system. During the preparation period for the new corn planting season, from February to June, the company and its corn collectors engage with farmers who encountered on hotspot data within 7 days after found hotspot reporting from the room.
Woraphot emphasized that after more than 8 years of introducing the traceability system, corn collectors and farmers are now proficient in registering themselves into the system. This progress reflects the establishment of understanding of the system and awareness of the dust pollution in the area. He also highlighted the support provided to all collectors to procure corn through the traceability system, ensuring in effectively managing PM 2.5 haze issues stemming from agricultural burning and enforcing the discontinuation of burning in cornfields.
Additionally, Bangkok Produce Merchandising stands ready to serve as a model and share experiences in utilizing traceability technology for sustainable corn production in the food supply chain. (NNT)
