Thai Wah: Betting On Agritech

Inflation, Russia-Ukraine tensions and climate change are piling pressure on global food systems. ASEAN as a major food producing and agriculture region is ripe for innovation to bolster its own food security. Ho Ren Hua, CEO of Thai Wah, discusses how he wants to transform agrifood in the region, including where he sees a right to win in the challenging agritech sector. Listed on SET, Thai Wah is one of the largest starch and starch-related food companies in Asia, and is taking up stakes in early stage companies, and expanding into new, high-growth businesses such as bioplastic packaging. Using tapioca as its raw material input, derived from the cassava plant, it could replace Western wheat-based products. Ho, a graduate of Wharton School and former management consultant at Bain & Co, comes from a family of entrepreneurs. His paternal grandfather established Thai Wah in the 1940s, while his parents founded the Banyan Tree hotels. Producer & Presenter: Noelle Lim