@ AGROBiz | January-February. 2026

The ceremony, held at the Trade and Investment Queensland Office, brought together senior Queensland government representatives and industry leaders, underscoring a shared commitment to advancing science-led, sustainable agriculture and scaling pre-

cision farming solutions across borders.

Queensland Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training, Ros Bates, said the agreement would deliver tangible benefits for regional communities.

“ This agreement backs Queensland ' s agtech and agribusinesses to grow, create jobs and reach new markets.

“ It builds on our strengths in agriculture and innovation and supports regional communities by turning opportunity into real economic outcomes,” Bates said.

PARTNERSHIP FOR REGIONAL GROWTH: AgriS and Farmacist have officially signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement, witnessed by the Hon. Ros Bates MP – Queensland Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training, and representatives from DPI and TIQ.

Under the framework, Farmacist will assume the role of Centre of Excellence within the AgriS ecosystem, leading the validation and expansion of best-practice agronomy across crops and geographies.

Its independent advisory systems, proprietary data, and applied research capabilities will be embedded in AgriS’ s AgriOS digital platform to develop integrated solutions combining agronomic advice, inputs, mechanisation, and precision technologies.

Founded in 2010, Farmacist began by servicing growers in the Mackay and Burdekin regions and has since expanded its footprint from Northern New South Wales to Far North Queensland.

With a team of more than 40 qualified agronomists and professionals, the company supports hundreds of farms and is recognised as the largest independent agronomic service provider to Australia’ s sugar industry. Its integrated approach, spanning independent agronomy, applied research and commercial implementation, places strong emphasis on science-based recommendations, long-term soil health and sustainable productivity.

The formal partnership builds on collaboration that commenced in 2022, when joint agronomic assessments were undertaken in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Australia. These initiatives progressed to demonstration farms applying internationally recognised best management practices, validating data-driven, sustainable production systems at scale.

As the international investment and partnership arm of AgriS in Australia, GMAA focuses on agriculture, food and sustainability-driven opportunities. The entity facilitates cross-border collaboration, technology transfer, and market expansion among Australia, Vietnam, and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

Together, the partners aim to transition from fragmented farm-level interventions to integrated, commercially viable service models, positioning the alliance to drive productivity gains, environmental stewardship and longterm value creation across regional agricultural ecosystems.

RESEARCHERS at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, are transforming Thai silk from a cultural textile into a source of medical innovation, creating a sustainable income for farmers while reducing the country’ s reliance on imported biomaterials.

The SilkLife project, led by Associate Professor Dr Juthamas Ratanavaraporn of the Faculty of Engineering, converts silk protein into a variety of medical products, including pain-relief and sleep-aid patches, injectable joint gels, and artificial tissues.

The initiative addresses a major challenge in Thailand’ s growing medical sector, which continues to depend heavily on imported materials such as collagen and hyaluronic acid.

Thai silk’ s primary protein, fibroin, offers distinct biomedical advantages. Naturally strong, biocompatible, and biodegradable into amino acids, it also features a golden hue and a hydrophobic structure, allowing it to bind efficiently with certain drug compounds. These properties make it particularly suitable for targeted drug delivery and other advanced medical

SILK GOES MEDICAL: Organic silkworms are reared under strict protocols in Ratchaburi province to produce high-quality silk for medical applications.

applications.

The SilkLife project covers the entire silk value chain, beginning with an organic silkworm farm on five rai in Ratchaburi province, certified under Thailand’ s organic agriculture standards. Controlled, closed-system rearing facilities, compliant with Thai Agricultural Standard 8203, to ensure consistent quality throughout the year, while contract farmers are trained in strict protocols to minimise contamination.

Harvested cocoons are then processed at a pilot plant certified to ISO 13485 manufacturing standards and ISO 10993 medical safety standards, with the production of medical-grade silk protein typically taking three to four years from farming to processing.

Initial products target external use, including hydrogel skin patches that release herbal pain-relief compounds for up to eight hours and CBD sleep patches as alternatives to high-dose oral supplements.

More advanced applications are also in development, such as biodegradable scaffolds for tissue and dental regeneration and injectable silk-based joint gels, which are now entering early-stage clinical trials at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.

The project also benefits farmers economically. Medical-grade silk cocoons command prices several times higher than conventional silk.

Researchers note that:“ SilkLife’ s platform approach allows a single material to be developed into dozens of products, positioning Thai silk as a competitive, homegrown alternative in global medical markets.”- @ AGROBiz