Agri-Food Industry Roundup: Key Developments in APAC – June 2025
The Asia-Pacific region continues to be a dynamic hub for innovation, sustainability, and transformation in the agri-food sector. From advancements in alternative proteins and aquaculture to strategic policy shifts and regional collaborations, the landscape is evolving rapidly. This roundup highlights the most significant developments from the month of June, that are shaping the future of food and agriculture across APAC
🔋 350 Companies Powering Crop Performance with Biologicals
The Mixing Bowl presents an updated snapshot of 300 companies focused on biological pest control in agriculture—covering microbes, botanicals, biochemicals, beneficial insects/nematodes, semiochemicals, RNAi innovations, and gene-altered crops.
🥕 Japan's Driving Technological Innovation for Vegetable Farming
Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) released the “Basic Guidelines for Agricultural Technology” on June 13, outlining a tech-driven vision to meet rising vegetable demand.
🦐 AquaEasy looks to use AI-powered tech to bring shrimp farming closer to consumers
AquaEasy, a Singapore‑based ag‑tech startup (spin‑out from Bosch), uses AI‑enabled IoT sensors and an automated “iFeeder” to monitor shrimp behaviour and pond conditions—optimizing feed timing and reducing waste—with commercial deployments in Southeast Asia and plans for a supermarket‑adjacent urban shrimp farm mode.
🌾 Can Japan Learn to Love Imported Rice with Prices and Temperatures Rising?
Japan is facing a deepening rice crisis following soaring prices and dwindling stockpiles caused by extreme heat, distribution bottlenecks, and rising post-COVID tourism.
👀 Much& Seek Partners to Help Combat Mad Cow Disease
Mush&—a South Korean food-tech startup founded in 2024—is using precision fermentation to cultivate mushroom mycelium (from shiitake, reishi, cordyceps strains) and is pursuing a partnership with an animal-feed company.
🐠 Japan Promotes Smart Fisheries to Turn Around Declining Industry
Japan’s Fisheries Agency has released a white paper emphasising the urgent transformation of its declining fishing and aquaculture sectors through “smart fisheries.” The report highlights challenges including rising costs, ageing labour, environmental issues (like 2024’s red tides that caused losses of ¥3.13bn), and calls for integrating ICT, IoT, AI, drones, and robotics.
🐶 Big Idea Ventures and Mars Petcare Launch Global Next Generation Pet Food Program
Big Idea Ventures, in collaboration with Mars Petcare, has launched the Next Generation Pet Food Program, a global initiative that partners with startups (especially in APAC) to develop sustainable pet food innovations, including novel proteins, eco-friendly fats, and advanced processing technologies.
🍫 California Cultured Inc. Proves Commercial Viability of Cell-Based Chocolate
California Cultured, a California-based food-tech startup founded in 2020, has achieved a major milestone by scaling its cell-based cocoa production from lab-scale flasks to large-volume bioreactors—thanks to a partnership with Pow.Bio’s AI-driven fermentation facility near Berkeley.
✅ Vow Gets FSANZ Regulatory Approval in Australia & New Zealand
Vow, a Sydney-based food tech startup, has received regulatory approval from Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) for its cultured quail products, marking a significant milestone in the region's cultivated meat sector.