Biomin kicks off World Nutrition Forum in Singapore

The WNF 2012 is entitled “NutriEconomics – Balancing global nutrition & productivity: People – Performance – Profit – Planet”. Founder and president of Biomin Erich Erber introduced the conference and the concept to almost 800 delegates coming from 75 countries.

He explained his formula E+F=G2 (Economics + Generation F(acebook) = Geopolicital change x Geriatric change) as the new model for the growth of the global population and the need to supply them with healthy and affordable foodstuff.

“Research has led me to the conclusion that the cheap times are over. Worldwide economic growth during the last 25 years has been based on cheap resources,” Erber told the audience.

Everything started to change in 1999, when in a decade 1 billion people were added to the world. Prices were at their lowest but started to increase from then.

“Now we see that the world has turned and the East has to bail out the West,” Erber said. “The magic formula of the past seems to be outdated. In the absence of cheap energy, cheap labour and cheap commodities we must learn to manage the shortages that lie ahead.”

He suggested that stronger integration with better supply chain management and more focus on productivity within industry and on customers will provide some answers to the challenges ahead.

The level of business in our industry relates to food items. “Thus, if you want to grow your business, you need to be present in the markets where the growth is taking place,” Erber concluded.

Biomin located its regional headquarters for Asia to Singapore in 1998. The starting point was a mycotoxin reference lab, which was taken over by sister company Romer Labs soon after the initial move to Singapore. Biomin now has a manufacturing and service base in Singapore for the whole of Asia, allowing to be as near to their customers as possible.