Bangkok Produce Merchandising Public Company Limited, a subsidiary of the leading agri-food conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CP Foods), is at the forefront of a unified campaign with governmental bodies, business partners, and farmers to address the ongoing PM 2.5 dust challenge.

This initiative encourages farmers to cease the practice of crop burning in preparation for the upcoming planting season as part of the “Partner to Green: Corn Suppliers Fighting Haze Alliance Project.” The alliance employs Satellite Imaging Technology to diminish significantly, and ultimately aim to eradicate, the burning practices in its corn supply chain. The company invites the Thais people to help monitor and report crop-burning incidents via the “F.Farm” application, fostering a collaborative approach to mitigate environmental concerns.

The “Partner to Green: Corn Supplier Allies Fighting Haze” scheme, initiated by Bangkok Produce, signifies a coordinated endeavour between public institutions, private sectors, and corn growers, organized as a Public-Private Partnership. This strategy aims to manage the corn supply chain for animal feed responsibly. This program, focused on environmental preservation and public health protection, aligns with Charoen Pokphand Group’s policy to refrain from purchasing or importing corn from deforested areas and locations susceptible to crop burning. 

The initiative involves sharing daily satellite imagery updates of hotspots with local corn collectors, thereby enabling targeted monitoring of burning activities. When burning is detected, company officials and partners quickly visit the site to engage with farmers and verify the incidents. 

Should repeated burning be identified, the company will enforce a suspension of corn purchases from the implicated plot for one year.  This initiative supports the sustainability of the food supply chain managed by CP Foods, combating deforestation and air pollution.

Furthermore, Bangkok Produce advocates for public engagement in overseeing agricultural burning activities. This advocacy is supported through a reporting channel for corn crop burning via the “F. Farm” application or the corn traceability system website. 

This collaborative effort seeks to eradicate smoke and haze issues, leveraging the Corn Traceability system developed by Bangkok Produce in 2016 for sourcing traceable animal feed corn. This system digitally records essential farmer information and cultivation plots, ensuring the sourced corn is from explicit sources, non-deforested, and non-burnt areas. The integration of blockchain technology has enhanced the data’s reliability and transparency.

In addition to efforts to halt crop burning and mitigate smoke and haze sources, Bangkok Produce has partnered with government agencies to impart knowledge to corn farmers, raising them to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards for more effective and sustainable cultivation. The “F. Farm” app development supports corn growers by providing access to vital information, such as rainfall, temperature, and fertilization tips, aiding in boosting productivity and income and promoting a responsible corn supply chain for animal feed.

The corn traceability system, launched in 2016, was Thailand’s inaugural initiative for sourcing raw feed material capable of tracing back to its origin. Over 40,000 corn farmers and more than 600 agricultural collectors are enrolled to market their produce through the system, covering an area exceeding 2 million rai. This ensures that the food’s origin is not linked to deforestation or burning practices, contributing to the resolution of the haze and PM 2.5 issues and the sustainable reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

This initiative underscores Bangkok Produce and CP Foods’ commitment to responsible agricultural sourcing and traceability. Bangkok Produce is expanding the corn traceability system to seven countries, including Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, the Philippines, India, and Bangladesh, with a plan to digitize corn-sourcing data from Myanmar this year.