Speaker Profiles | FARMD Annual Conference 2012

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Udhoro Kasih Anggoro | Dr. Min Aung | Dr. Bui Ba Bong | Ms. Brigitte Bruhin | Dr. K.L. Heong | Sumeth Laomoraphorn | Sharanjit Leyl |  Ms. Le Nguyet Minh | Dr. Samarendu Mohanty | Raul Montemayor | Paul Nicholson | Dr. Nipon Paopongsakorn | Marc Sadler | Mr. Abhishek Sahai | Agus Saifullah | Dr. William Salas | Dr. Nguyen Van Sanh | Ms. Victoria Serrato | Mr. Jaap Smit | Mr. Tom Slayton | Mr. Vichai Sriprasert | Mr. Visadsak Srisuriyatada | Mr. V. Subramenian | Dr. Peter Timmer | Dr. Hla Tun | Christina Ulardic | Avinash Wagh | Dr. Wei Xiong | Mrs. Apiradee Yimlamai | Masahiro Yamashita

Mr. Udhoro Kasih Anggoro, Director General of Food Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Indonesia

Mr. Udhoro Kasih Anggoro is currently the Director General of Food Crops at Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture. Prior to this, Mr. Anggoro was the Executive Secretary to the Directorate General of Food Crops. Previously, he was the Director for Estate Crop Development, Indonesia Ministry of Agriculture.  

Mr. Anggoro holds a bachelor's degree in agriculture from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. He holds a master's degree in Rural and Regional Development Planning from Bogor Agriculture University.

Dr. Wei Xiong, Professor in climate change impacts and agronomy, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Dr. Wei Xiong is a professor in the Climate Change Division, the Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture (IEDA) at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS). His research concentrates on the modeling of interactions between climate, management, and crop production with a primary focus on China and other developing countries. He works on up-scaling application of crop models, impact and adaptation of climate change on agriculture, and uncertainties assessment of the crop models. He has a broad-base of expertise that encompasses detailed knowledge of climate scenarios generation, climate variability and change impacts assessment and research on agronomic adaptation techniques simulation.

He received a PhD in agronomy from China Agricultural University in 2004, and Sc.B in Applied Meteorology from Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in 2001, and did his post-doctoral research in IFPRI, Washington D.C. The areas he focusing now are crop modeling, impacts of climate change on agriculture, water, and food security in China. Prior to his current active research, he was engaged in modeling rice production in China using the CERES-rice and ORYZA crop models, to assess the impacts of both climate change and exacerbated rice pest (Chilo supperssalis). From July 2001, he began to work within a team with more extensive fields, in simulating the interactions of climate change, water availability, land use change and socio-economic development on China’s food production. He closely involves in dozens of projects funded by Work Bank, Asian Development Bank, ESPA (Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation), UK DFID (Department for International Development), China MOST (Ministry of Science and Technology), China NSFC (National Natural Science Foundation), and others.

Dr. Peter Timmer, Professor Emeritus at Harvard University

Dr. Peter Timmer is highly regarded around the world as a leading authority on agriculture development and structural transformation during the process of economic growth, as well as on the causes and impact of food price volatility.  He has served as a professor at Stanford, Cornell, Harvard, and the University of California, San Diego, where he was also the dean of the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies. A core advisor on the World Bank's World Development Report 2008: Agriculture for Development, Timmer also works with several Asian governments on domestic policy responses to instability in the global rice market. In 1992, he received the Bintang Jasa Utama (Highest Merit Star) from the Republic of Indonesia for his contributions to food security.  In 2012, he received the Leontief Prize from Tufts University for advancing the frontiers of economic thought. He is also an advisor to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on agricultural development issues.

Timmer's work focuses on three broad topics: the nature of "pro-poor growth" and its application in Indonesia and other countries in Asia; the supermarket revolution in developing countries and its impact on the poor (both producers and consumers); and the structural transformation in historical perspective as a framework for understanding the political economy of agricultural policy. He also continues his longstanding interest in stabilizing the world rice market.

Dr. Bui Ba Bong, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam

Mr. Bui Ba Bong is currently a Vice Minister at Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Prior to this, Mr Bong was the Director of the Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute. Previously, he was the Deputy Director of the institute and the Head of the Department of Plant Breeding.

Mr Bong holds a bachelor’s degree in crop science from the Agricultural University in Ho Chi Minh City. He holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in genetics from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute.

Mr. Paul Nicholson, General Manager of Research and Risk Management, Rice Division, Olam International Limited

Paul Nicholson is the General Manager of Research and Risk Management for the Rice Division at Olam International Limited based in Singapore. Paul is developing this role for Olam and began in August. Prior to this, Paul has worked throughout the commodity industry, seeing the financial, international policy, and corporate procurement activities related to global commodity markets. Most recently, he worked 4 years as the head of Kraft Foods Global Commodity Research which supported Price Risk Management for Kraft’s Global Procurement group. In that role, he oversaw the global monthly reporting of commodity exposures, price forecasting, OTC strategies, and internal/external presentations on long-term commodity price risks. He has also served as the Executive Director of the Texas State Pension Review Board, which is meant to identify issues related to funding status of 400 pension funds worth over $200 billion. In that role, he spent time working with the Pension Funds to understand their financial portfolio, especially investments related to alternative markets. His resume also includes six years at the International Monetary Fund where he worked primarily in commodities, establishing a global commodity price index and forecasting operations for 53 commodities. He has a wife and two children. Paul holds two Bachelor’s degrees, Political Science and Economics both with honors, from the University of Missouri – Columbia. He has a Juris Doctor degree from The George Washington School of Law and is Bar licensed in Texas (inactive status).

Dr. Samarendu Mohanty, Head of the Social Sciences Division at the International Rice Research Institute

Samarendu Mohanty is the Program 5 Leader and Head of the Social Sciences Division at the International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Laguna, Philippines.  Prior to joining IRRI in 2008, he was Associate Professor and Associate Director of the Cotton Economics Research Institute in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Texas Tech University from 2000-2008. He worked as a scientist at the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, Iowa State University from 1994 to 2000.

Received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics at University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1995; B.S. in Agricultural Marketing and Cooperation from University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India in 1989. Received several awards and recognitions for his teaching and research including recognition from the Western Agricultural Economics Association and University of Nebraska-Lincoln for his contribution to agricultural, resource and environmental economics in the Western States.

Mr. Tom Slayton

Mr. Slayton, the former publisher of The Rice Trader and The Rice Report, is a long time student of the world rice market. With over three decades of experience living and traveling in Asia, Mr. Slayton is recognized as a leading authority on the international rice market and has published several articles on the subject. Mr. Slayton worked for USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service for 13 years (1974-86). His introduction to the world rice market occurred during his assignment to Indonesia as the Assistant Agricultural Attaché in 1977-80. Mr. Slayton was USDA’s senior rice trade analyst from 19880-84. As USDA’s senior rice analyst, Mr. Slayton was involved in the implementation of the U.S.-Japan rice agreement and negotiations with Taiwan on its subsidized rice exports. He served as the U.S. delegate to FAO’s Intergovernmental Rice Group (1981, 1983, and 1984). From 1984-86, Mr. Slayton was the U.S. Agricultural Attaché in Thailand.

Mr. Slayton joined the U.S. Rice Millers’ Association (RMA) as their market analyst (1986-91). In addition to monitoring the world rice market for RMA’s membership, he provided analytical support for the association’s two Section 301 trade petitions calling for Japan to drop its ban on rice imports. In 1991, Mr. Slayton founded Slayton & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in monitoring developments in the world rice market. Slayton & Associates had clients in 15 countries which included virtually all of the major international rice trading firms, the leading export firms in several of the major markets, international banks, governments, etc. Mr. Slayton was a key speaker at several conferences hosted by both the Thai Rice Exporters’ Association and IBC Asia. In 2006, Mr. Slayton sold THE RICE TRADER and THE RICE REPORT. Mr. Slayton was a fellow at the Center for Global Development during 2008 and 2009 and has recently served as a consultant on the rice market for the World Bank and FAO.

Mr. Slayton, born in 1950, is a 1972 graduate of the University of Idaho in political science and received a Masters degree in Latin American Studies from Columbia University’s School of International Affairs in 1974. Mr. Slayton and his wife, Cheri, have two children and reside in Alexandria, Virginia.

Ms. Victoria Serrato, Marketing and Enterprise Program Officer, Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Development

Ms. Serrato is currently the Marketing and Enterprise Program Officer at the Asian Farmers Association for Sustainable Development based in the Philippines. In this capacity, she is responsible for coordinating activities of AFA and members’ in the areas of enterprise and marketing. Ms. Serrato also represents AFA in many conferences and fora to raise issues, concerns and recommendations that are related to agriculture productivity, marketing and trade related at the regional and international level.

Prior to working for AFA, Ms. Serrato served as a Program Officer at the Philippine Development Assistance Programme (PDAP), Inc., a Technical Office at the Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PhilDHRRA) and a Sustainable Agriculture Specialist at the Provincial Farmers’ Federation.

Ms. Serrato holds her masters degree in Organic Agriculture from Wageningen University focused on Consumer and Market.

Dr. Min Aung, Agriculture Advisor

Dr. Min Aung is currently the Agriculture Advisor to Gold Delta Co., Ltd., the Myanmar Rice Industry Association, and C.P. Yangon Co., Ltd., all located in Yangon. Prior to serving as an Agricultural Advisor, Dr. Aung worked as the General Manager of the Seed Division for Myanmar Agriculture Service, where he was responsible for production of Breeder, Foundation, and Registered seeds of various crops in 34 seed farms. He was also responsible for planning and management of quality seed production of rice, peas, bean and oil crops, conducting agriculture training, workshops, and seminars. During his time at the Myanmar Agriculture Service, Dr. Aung developed several new rice high yielding varieties, through rice varietal improvement program and he was the leader of the Myanmar-IRRI Rice Research Program.

Dr. Min Aung received his bachelors degree from the University of Agriculture, his masters degree from the University of the Philippines Los Banos, and his Ph.D from Mississippi State University. 

Mr. Vichai Sriprasert, President of Riceland International Limited

Mr. Vichai Sriprasert is the founder and President of Riceland International Limited, a leading Thai parboiled rice exporter. His family's involvement in the rice business dated back to 1930. Since its founding in 1977 , Riceland International has been exporting its premium parboiled rice worldwide and is consistently ranked in the Top-5 parboiled rice exporters in Thailand.

Mr. Vichai served as the president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association for 2 terms and is now the honorary president of the association. He is regularly invited to both domestic and international forum to comment on rice markets and related economic issues. He has been interviewed by CNN, BBC, NHK, and other major TV networks at home and abroad and has been quoted by The Economist, Financial Times, IRRI and many local and international news papers on rice issues.

Mr.Visadsak  Srisuriyatada, Director of Upland Crops Grown after Rice,  Department of Agricultural Extension (DOAE),  Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand

Mr Visadsak Srisuriyatada currently serves as Chief of Upland Crops Grown after Rice, Bureau of Agricultural Commodities Promotion and Management, Department of Agricultural Extension, Thailand. Previously, he served as Chief of Rice Promote Production, Bureau of Agricultural Commodities Promotion and Management, Department of Agricultural Extension. Prior that his role he also served as Chief of Fiber and Cassava Crop, Bureau of Agricultural Commodities Promotion and Management, Department of Agricultural Extension. 

Mr. Srisuriyatada holds a bachelors degree in Food Science and Technology from Chaingmai University and a masters degree of Agricultural Extension.

Mrs. Apiradee Yimlamai, Director of Research Center, Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), Thailand

Mrs. Yimlamai currently serves as the Director of Research Center at the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) in Thailand. Mrs. Yimlamai has over 28 years of experience working in planning, research, agricultural disaster relief, agricultural credit management, and corporate strategy. 

Mrs. Yimlamai has also attended several relevant international meetings and trainings, including those focused on crop insurance, rural development, agricultural risk management, weather index insurance, and aquaculture insurance. 

Mrs. Yimlamai earned her masters degree in Public Administration from the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) Thailand. 

Dr. Nipon Poapongsakorn, Distinguished Fellow, Thailand Development Reseach Institute (TDRI)

Dr. Nipon Poapongsakorn is Distinguished Fellow of Thailand Development Research Institute, which is the non-profit think tank on economic policy research and formerly held the position of Dean, Faculty of Economics, Thammasat University, where he was also Associate Professor. He has been teaching a course on business economics and political economy course in the Executive MBA program of Thammasat University.

Nipon Poapongsakorn has advised governments, the ADB and the World Bank on issues from the rice price and agricultural policy, education and industrial policy to trade strategy. Mr. Poapongsakorn is the author of over 160 research articles and publications related to labour economics and human resources; agricultural and livestock policies; industrial economics, trade and investment; corruption and conflicts of interest, as well as economic evaluation and planning assessment. His on-going research is the rice research and long-term issues facing the rice industry. He now begins to do new research in the areas of water management, emphasizing on the institutional arrangement of flood management.

He received several prizes for his research and outstanding alumni of Thammasat University and Suan Kularb high school.

Mr. Abhishek Sahai, Senior Vice President, Olam International Limited

Mr. Abhishek Sahai is the Senior Vice President of Olam International Limited overseeing the Global Rice distribution businesses.  Olam is now the world’s second largest physical trader of rice in the private sector growing from 400,000 tons year in 1998 to over one million tons in 2012.  Since joining Olam in 1998, Abhishek has been instrumental in this doubling of volume by establishing distribution networks and marketing efforts throughout Africa.  Though he now resides in Singapore with his wife and two children, he lived in West Africa for 8 years and continues to travel and work throughout Africa; including, Nigeria, Ghana, Mozambique, and Cote d’Ivoire.  In addition to the destination side, he set up origin operations in Asian countries; including, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Cambodia.  Mr. Abhishek Sahai holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology in Roorkee, India and a Masters in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management in Lucknow, India.

Dr. Nguyen Van Sahn, Director and Senior Lecturer, Mekong Delta Development Institute (MDI)

Dr. Nguyen has been Director of the MDI since 2009. Prior to this role, Dr. Nguyen served as Deputy Director of the Institute from 2005 - 2009 as well as had management roles on numerous internationally funded development projects throughout Vietnam. These projects focused primarily on economic development, capacity building for povery elimination, and flood disaster risk reduction for organizations such as UNDP, Oxfam, CIDA, and AusAID. Dr. Nguyen has authored numerous books and papers, with his reserach area focused on farming systems, natural resource management, and economic development. 

Dr. Nguyen Van Sanh has his bachelors degree in Agronomy from Cantho University in Vietnam, his masters degree in Agricultural Systems from the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand, and his PhD in Public Policy, specializing in rural social and economic development. 

Mr. Avinash Ramchandra Wagh, Continent Manager - Asia, GrainPro Philippines, Inc.

Mr. Avinash Ramchandra Wagh is currently the Continent Manager for GrainPro Philippines, Inc. in Asia. Prior to this role, Mr. Wagh worked with GrainPro as the Regional Manager for the Indian Subcontinent and Middle East, where he travelled to several locations across India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand, Turkey, Philippines, Dubai, Kenya, Rwanda, and Laos on GrainPro business. 

From 2007-2008 Mr. Wagh worked for Monsanto Seeds and Crop Technology in India as the Territory Manager for Sales.

Mr. Wagh holds his MBA from SIES College of Management Studies, Mumbai University and his bachelors degree in Agriculture from the College of Agriculture, Dapoli.

U Hla Tun, Managing Director, Myanmar Rice Mill Company, Limited and Director of Golden Lace Company, Limited

U Hla Htun is currently the Managing Director of Myanmar Rice Mill Company, Limited and also a Director in Golden Lace Company Limited.  He is rice exporter as well as rice distributor and trader in the domestic market of Myanmar.

U Hla Tun has been involved in rice exports since 2008, mainly exporting white rice to the African Markets and exporting Par Boiled Rice and high quality rice to Russia, starting in 2012. He exported a total of 12,000 mt in 2011, with the average of 1,000 per month and in 2012(August) he exported a total of about 180,000 mt of rice with an average of about 15,000 mt per month. He exported par boiled rice mostly to a company named Agro. Alliance based in St. Peters burg, Russia. The brand name of his rice in the domestic market was Myit Wa Kyun Paw.

Hla Tun graduated from the Institute of Medicine 2, Yangon, Myanmar in 2003 and holds a degree of MBBS.  He did not practice in medical field and was involved in his family business of Rice Milling.

Mr. Sumeth Laomoraphorn, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), C.P. Intertrade Co.Ltd.

Mr.Sumeth is currently serving as the President of C.P.Intertrade Co.,Ltd., an affiliate of Charoen Pokphand (C.P.) Group, the leading agro-business conglomerate in Asia.

He has managed C.P. Intertrade’s annual turnover of around 30 billion Baht which covers rice (as flagship business unit), food stuffs, consolidating & buying agent. The products are marketed under both “Royal Umbrella” brand (company’s own brand) and various private leading brands.

His 30 years business background was concentrating on commodities trading and procurement of feed raw materials for the C.P. Group e.g. corn, soybean meal, fishmeal, etc. He used to be responsible for various overseas trading branches which include Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Myanmar, etc. prior to his rice business development in this present era.

His views and opinions are occasionally sorted for Thai economic issues mainly on agricultural public policy. The company is now rated as the leader in both domestic and export rice business under brand “Royal Umbrella” covering more than 80 countries worldwide.

Mr. V. Subramanian (Subra) Vice President Asia, Africa & Europe, The Rice Trader

Subra is Currently a member of The Rice Trader team with primary responsibilities in the TRT’s Asian and African rice market coverage. The Rice Trader provides daily and weekly rice market analysis on rice market developments around the world.

Subra is also Managing Editor of Rice Today, the flagship publication of IRRI that is now published by the The Rice Trader.

Educated in the United Kingdom - Economics degree (University of Leicester) and a Masters in Science (MSc) degree in shipping trade and finance (City University, London, now known as the Cass Business School), Subra started his career at the Singapore Trade Development Board compiling trade statistics between Singapore and Malaysia.

Christina Ulardic, Vice President - Corporate Solutions, Swiss Re

Christina Ulardic works for Swiss Reinsurance Company in Environmental & Commodity Markets on the development of weather index and crop yield shortfall risk transfer solutions. She leads origination efforts with main focus on the African continent; clients being investors, financial service companies, corporate and public sector entities. Swiss Re is a leading risk taker in the global weather markets.

Christina received her Master of Science, Geology from the University of Freiburg, Germany and Basel, Switzerland. Before joining Swiss Re she worked for the Geological Survey in Chile, the climate change program of the United Nations Institute of Training and Research in Geneva and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment in Berlin. In 2004 she obtained a Master of Public Administration at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA.

Dr. K.L. Heong, Principal Scientist, Insect Ecology, International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)

Dr. K.L. Heong is an insect ecologist with many years of experience working in Asia. He holds a PhD and a DSc from Imperial College, London and is recognized internationally as an authority on science, technology and implementation of pest ecology, farmers’ decision making and sustainable pest management. He has authored or co-authored over 150 scientific papers and three books on pest management in rice and has received numerous awards from various academic, government and international organizations, including the TWAS Agriculture Prize and the US Council for Agricultural Science and Technilogy (CAST) Charles Black Award . He is a Fellow of the Third World Academy of Science (TWAS), a Fellow of the Academy of Science, Malaysia (ASM) and a Fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS).

K.L. provides strategic leadership in pest management research and the implementation of IPM and ecological engineering methods for sustainable management of rice pests in Asia.

Dr. William Salas, President and Chief Scientist, Applied GeoSolutions

Dr. William Salas has over 20 years of experience in training and applications of remote sensing and geo-spatial technologies and development of decision support systems for environmental applications. He is the President and Chief Scientist at Applied Geosolutions (AGS) and Vice-President at DNDC Applications, Research and Training. Prior to forming AGS he worked at Complex Systems Research Center at University of New Hampshire and at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  His expertise includes use of remote sensing and GIS tools for environmental applications, training and technology transfer in the use of geo-spatial technologies, applications of transportation, land use, urban sprawl and biogeochemical models for assessing environmental impacts of land use, and GIS and remote sensing technical support. He has served as an expert reviewer for development of GHG protocols and national emission inventories related to agriculture and forestry, and the US Climate Change Science Program. He has served on science teams for several remote sensing programs, including PALSAR, JERS-1, Landsat Pathfinder working group, CEOS and IGBP-DIS High Resolution Satellite Data Working Group. His research has supported the technical development of remote sensing and biogeochemical model of GHG in support of GOFC/GOLD program. Current research interests include development of geospatial decision support systems for AFOLU GHG inventories, mitigation and adaption analyses and food security.

Marc Sadler, Team Leader of the Agricultural Finance & Risk Management Unit, the World Bank        

Marc Sadler is the Team Leader of the Agricultural Finance & Risk Management Team of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of the World Bank. He is an expert on commodity markets, logistics, trading and risk management. Before joining ARMT, Marc spent six years working as a consultant for the World Bank and FAO, specializing in the fields of agribusiness and agricultural policy in Central Asia, the Caucasus and Turkey. Prior to working in development, Sadler spent nine years as an agricultural commodities trader (both import and export), based out of the Former Soviet Union. He has an M.A. in Jurisprudence from Trinity College, Oxford University. In his role as Team Leader of ARMT, Sadler advises both governments and agricultural supply chain stakeholders about risk assessment and management in a wide range of commodity sectors.

Masahiro Yamashita, General Manager, Tokyo Grain Exchange

Masahiro Yamashita is a General Manager at Tokyo Grain Exchange Inc.(TGE). He has over fifteen years of work experience in the agricultural commodity futures and options market and is an expert in the area of contract design and agricultural risk management. He led a product development team to conduct an intensive economic analysis of wide range of agricultural commodities including grain, oilseed and soft commodities. Last year, he also designed and launched Japan's first rice futures contract in 72 years. Prior to this he worked in the corporate finance section at Mitsubishi Bank. Mr. Yamashita has a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics at Wye College, University of London. (Wye College merged with Imperial College London in 2000.)

Raul Montemayor, National Manager, Federation of Free Farmers Cooperatives, Inc.

Mr. Raul Montemayor is currently the National Business Manager and Program Officer of the Federation of Free Farmers Cooperatives, Inc. (FFFCI) and its mother organization, the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) of the Philippines.  He is also at present a member of the board of the International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council (IPC) and the Global Horticulture Initiative (GHI).  He was a Vice-President of the Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) up to the time closure of the organization in 2010.

Raul is a private sector advisor to the Philippine government in the WTO and other negotiations involving agricultural trade and represents small farmers in policy discussions on agricultural development, food security, credit, marketing, climate change and risk management, and cooperatives.  He is currently the chairman of the Department of Agriculture’s private sector advisory council for the rice and corn industry. He has a Bachelors of Science degree in Management Engineering from the Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines.

In addition to a financing program, the FFFCI national office subsidizes training and financial audit services and administers a life insurance program for individual members and officers. It also assists chapters in following up proposals, complaints and request, with government and other agencies, and in securing supplies, equipment and services from Manila-based firms.  The FFFCI and FFF are also currently implementing a nationwide program that seeks to cut production costs of farmer-members through self-generation of organic inputs, diversify farm and non-farm incomes through supplemental crops and livelihood opportunities, and improve incomes through improved post-harvest handling, semi-processing and marketing of farm products.

Sharanjit Leyl, Broadcaster, BBC World News

Sharanjit Leyl is a Singaporean Producer/Presenter for BBC World News and has accepted the position of moderator during the FARMD Annual Conference. She regularly anchors the Asia Business Report and Newsday from the BBC's Singapore studio. She is also a reporter and producer for shows along with World Business Report. Singapore-born Sharanjit Leyl is an international news journalist who has reported and presented from Singapore, Tokyo and London. Her noteworthy interviews have included the presidents of the Philippines and East Timor, the prime ministers of Pakistan, Thailand, and New Zealand, the former leaders of Australia, Singapore and Malaysia, chief executives and chairpersons from Fortune 500 companies ranging from Microsoft to Walmart. Ms. Leyl earned a degree in both Journalism and English Literature from The University of Maryland College Park and completed a Masters degree in English Literature at the University of British Columbia.

Agus Saifullah, Senior Researcher, BULOG

Agus Saifullah works for BULOG as a senior researcher. He has been working in BULOG since 1982  and mostly engaged with market and price analysis of staple food commodities, mainly rice, where he was the Director of  Market and Price Analysis in 2000-2003.  He is also working closely with the team that formulate food policy in Indonesia.  

Agus Saifullah received his Master of Science in agricultural economy from University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom in 1989.

Ms. Le Nguyet Minh, Associate Country Director for Oxfam in Viet Nam.

Le Minh is an economist with 17 years of experience in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region.

Le Minh has held positions with various international development organizations, including DFID, World Bank and FAO. For the past 9 years, Le Minh has been an integral part of the East Asia Regional Office of Oxfam America, where her work has concentrated on improving livelihoods and the income security for the rural poor of Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Her primary professional goal is to contribute to a just socio-economic development and enhance the well-being of the riparian nations.

Le Minh holds a Master of Arts major in Development Economics from the Williams College, USA, together with banking and language degrees from leading universities in Hanoi, Viet Nam.

Ms. Brigitte Bruhin, Deputy Country Director, Swiss Cooperation, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)

Brigitte Bruhin is Deputy Country Director at the Swiss Cooperation Office in Vietnam and is representing the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO on Economic Cooperation and Development in Vietnam (since Sept. 2009).

Mr. Jaap Smit is currently a Policy Officer and Advisor of Innovation and Markets in the Sustainabile and Economic Development Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. Previously worked in the Dutch Permanent Mission to the UN New York and the Netherlands Embassy in Bulgaria and in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nicaragua, Ghana on management of Netherlands Development Cooperation Programs, private sector development/SME’s and agricultural programs, organisational advisory services and finance. In the Ministry in the Hague worked at the deparments HRM and reorganisation, Asia Policy, Strategic Planning Unit.

Mr. Smit holds a Master in Business Administration University of Groningen focused on economics, law, commercial and business economics, organisational analyses and advisory services.