Speaking at the press conference held at Phaya Thai Palace in Bangkok, chief executive and chairman of the Miss World Organisation, Julia Morley said, “I am delighted to have been invited to hold the 2019 Miss World Final in Thailand. Given the country’s rich culture and hospitality, the ‘Land of Smiles’ is the perfect place to welcome the 130 Miss World Nations”.

Started in 1951, Miss World has inspired and empowered thousands of young women to use their talents to support the poor, sick and disadvantaged through its “Beauty With A Purpose” charitable programme. The longest-running international pageant, Miss World is not a traditional beauty contest, but rather a platform for women from across the globe to raise awareness and funds in aid of humanitarian causes. The organisation prides itself on its philanthropic focus with millions of dollars being raised for good causes every year.

Delegates from 130 countries are scheduled to arrive in Thailand in November with the final taking place in December. During their month in Thailand they will participate in a string of preliminary activities and visit the most spectacular tourism sites across the country as well as take part in fundraising activities to help good causes in Thailand.

Last year’s event was held in China, with the final in Sanya. This was the ninth time Miss World has been in China and has been credited with increasing global inbound tourism and boosting the local economy. China has two Miss World’s: Zhang Zilin was crowned in 2007 and Yu Wenxia in 2012.

The highlyanticipated Miss World final show will be telecast globally to over 100 countries, where viewers will watch as the reigning Miss World, Vanessa Ponce de Leon, who was crowned in China, pass the crown to the 69th Miss World in Thailand. Local organiser TW Pageants has been appointed to be the hosting partner for Miss World 2019 Final.

Tanawat Wansom, chief executive officer of TW Pageants, said: “Following China, I am honoured to receive the right to host such a major beauty pageant like Miss World in Thailand. Working closely with the brilliant team of the Miss World Organisation, I believe this opportunity will bring tremendous joy to the Thai people as they will get to see the beautiful, talented Miss World contestants in action in their home country. We also expect that hosting the programme will be a major boost to promote Thai tourism, culture and hospitality to a global audience. As the official partner of Miss World Organisation, we will work hard to make sure that this prestigious event comes out perfectly.”

Attending alongside Morley at the press conference were reigning Miss World, as well as the seven continental queens, including: Miss World Asia Nicolene Pichapa Limsnukan who represented Thailand last year, Miss World Europe Maria Vasilevich from Belarus, Miss World Caribbean Kadijah Robinson from Jamaica, Miss World Oceania Jessica Tyson from New Zealand, Miss World Africa Quiin Abenakyo from Uganda, Miss World Americas Solaris Barba from Panama, and Miss United Kingdom Linzi McLelland from Scotland.

This campaign also aims to increase awareness about hidden spots or art neighbourhoods waiting to be discovered.

The Culture Shaper launch event will take place in Thailand at Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) from March 12 to 17 and will feature a collaborative mural by between Thai street artist, Rukkit Sathapornwajana, and Singaporean street artist, Samantha Lo. Additionally, an exhibition by seven Singaporean artists entitled “A-typical Singapore” will feature art pieces incorporating Augmented Reality (AR) technology.

Rukkit is a wellknown Thai street artist with artworks displayed internationally. His career in the street art industry started when his seniors at work persuaded him to explore this field while he was working as a graphic designer. After experiencing street art, he became passionate about it and was determined to make art accessible for all through his art pieces.

Lo, also known as “SKL0”, was once a curator at the National Gallery Singapore. In the street art industry, she is known as “Sticker Lady” for attaching sticker artwork all over Singapore. Her works include a rebellious street painting that sparked a social dispute on whether her work should be called Street Art or the destruction of public property.

“A-typical Singapore”, which is travelling to major cities around the world, tells Culture Shaper stories through an immersive, multimedia experience. It was first featured at the “Passion Made Possible” trade and media event last August before travelling to Russia in September and Myanmar in November and December, and to India in February.

For more information, visit http://www.Stb.gov.sg or http://www.Bacc.or.th.

VistaJet will support the team to optimise their travel and transfer times throughout the 2019 Formula One season. In an industry where speed and efficiency are fundamental, the Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow team will further utilise time off track to arrive in optimum condition.

Having raced competitively with Ferrari for many years and as an official driver in the FIA World Endurance Championship, WEC, VistaJet’s founder and chairman Thomas Flohr recognises the demands of racing and the intense focus required to perform under such pressure. With his Ferrari 488 GTE, Thomas achieved second place at the 24h of Le Mans 2018, alongside his fellow drivers Giancarlo Fisichella and Francesco Castellacci.

“I am incredibly proud to support the most iconic and successful racing team in the world. Innovation, technology and a focus on efficiency are values we both share. VistaJet will provide Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow with seamless travel, to ensure their focus is on what is important – the competition on track,” Flohr said.

VistaJet places the utmost importance on service and operational excellence. On its owned fleet of over 70 aircraft, VistaJet has completed over 146,000 flights globally, safely flying over 360,000 passengers to more than 1,900 airports worldwide.

“A new season is starting, a new team will be driving, and we will all be there cheering for Sebastian Vettel, Charles Leclerc and all at Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow,” Flohr adds.

Find out more details at http://www.Vistajet.com/ferrari.

Eligible are informants who report companies using illegal and unlicensed versions of software published by Altium, Autodesk, Aveva, Dassault Systemes, CNC Mastercam, Siemens PLM and Trimble, the owner of Tekla software, among other brands.

“While some companies follow the law and invest in legal and secure industrial software, too many companies continue to break the rules when using industrial software,” says senior director Tarun Sawney.

“In Thailand and across Asia, we are focused on ensuring there is a level playing field. The new, bigger reward is a step in this direction.”

The identities of informants will be kept strictly private and confidential.

BSA is targeting highvalue industrial software because issues with its use persist among companies in the engineering, design, manufacturing, automotive and construction industries.

Corporate use of unlicensed software is an ongoing issue for many firms that publish complex design software used for industrial purposes.

More information on BSA Thailand campaign can be found at the “Report Software Piracy” section of the Thai Cybercrime Watch Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram.

A SMARTWATCH for people who love to exercise while keeping a close watch on their health, the Huawei Watch GT is purpose-built to track your running, biking, walking and even swimming, linking all these features to its heart rate monitoring function to allow you to improve your sports performance.

Tough and sleek, it is resilient to accidents thanks to the ceramic bezel design, stainless steel and diamond-like carbon coating.

Skinny at 10.6mm thin, it features a double crown 1.39-inch vibrant Amoled screen with 454×454 pixels.

The watch also has good battery life. Huwei claims that the GT is the first smartwatch to use double chipset architecture and provides a two-week battery life with heart rate monitoring on and with exercise recording for 90 minutes per week.

It uses Huawei TruSeen 3.0 heart rate monitoring technology with the sensor built in to the back of the watch. To achieve the most accurate read-out of your heart rate, Huawei says the watch should be strapped about 2.5 centimetres from your wrist. Huawei says its technology is efficient and accurate in measuring heart rate as it uses a self-learning algorithm and advanced sensors.

The watch’s GPS chip supports three satellite positioning system (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) worldwide to offer more accurate and faster and precise positioning.

The watch supports several workout types, including Running Courses, Outdoor Run, Indoor Run, Outdoor Walk, Trail Run, Outdoor Cycle, Indoor Cycle, Pool and Open Water Swimming.

Apart from tracking the exercises of your choice, Huawei Watch GT also provides coaching through introductory to advanced running courses to assist you in real-time. It also offers guidance training and gives time-movement effect feedback for you to try to improve your performance.

To function as fitness tracker, the GT uses its acceleration sensor and gyroscope sensor to detect and monitor your daily activities, including your step count, calories burned, activity intensity, and the amount of time you have been standing.

And the smartwatch can automatically identify your current activity, such as whether you are walking, running or stationary.

The GT can provide sleep statistics so that you can try to improve the quality and length of your sleep. Huawei says it conducted a joint study with Harvard Medical School CDB Centre to produce a sleep monitoring programme for every cycle of sleep. The TruSleep 2.0 identifies common sleep related issues and provides more than 200 potential suggestions to help you sleep better.

And when the Watch GT is connected to your smartphone, it can notify you of notifications of from your phone. It will notify you of SMS message, phone calls, and alarms and you can set reminders on the watch. You can use an app from Huawei, Huawei Health to customise which apps can send notifications to the watch. For example, the watch can alert you of Facebook Messenger alerts.

To start using the GT, you must first download and install Huawei Health and customise the app with your personal data, including your height, weight, sex and birthday.

You then use the app to add Huawei Watch GT to link to the app. The watch will alert you to allow the Bluetooth connection with the phone.

Then, the app will check for available update of firmware for the watch and download and install the firmware accordingly and the watch will be ready for tracking you activities.

The control and navigation for the watch is intuitive with touchscreen and two buttons. For example, you can press the up button to wake the watch screen when the screen is off, or access the app list screen from the home screen or return to the home screen, depending on the current situation. Or you can press and hold it to power it on or restart the watch or power it off.

You can press the down button to open the workout apps or press and hold it to lock or unlock the screen.

And during a workout, you can press the up button to pause or continue the workout or press the down button to switch the screen of the workout. You can press and hold the up button to end the current workout.

You touch and hold the home screen to change watch face. You can also swipe up the home screen to view notifications and swipe down on the home screen to view the shortcut menu and the battery status.

You swipe right or left to view your heart rate data, workout data, and weather information. When you swipe right, you will return to the previous screen.

If you want to improve your run, go to the Guided running feature in the Workout option select a running course. After the run, you can touch Exercise record on the watch screen to view detailed workout data, including training effects, general, speeds, steps, total height, heart rate, cadence and VO2max.

During the test, the watch worked fine in recording my steps and active time.

I also tried using it to record my ten-kilometre walk, using the Outdoor Walk feature. The GPS was fast in linking to a satellite and the watch provided an accurate map of my neighbourhood. During the walk, the watch showed my pace, distance I had walked and elapsed time. It alerted me for every one kilometre I completed with the average speed of that particular kilometre.

Huawei Watch GT has a suggested retail price of Bt5,990.

>> Display: 1.4-inch AMOLED Color Screen Display with |454 x 454 pixels, 397 PPI

>> Hardware function: Gravity Acceleration Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Compass Geomagnetic Sensor, Optical Heart Rate Sensor, Pressure Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, 5 ATM Water Resistant

>> Memory: 16GB RAM + 128GB ROM

>> Connectivity: GPS + GLONASS + Galileo Support, 2.4 GHz BT4.2 Support BLE

>> Battery: 420mAh

>> Watch dimension: 46.5 x 46.5 x 10.6 mm (H x W x D)

>> Strap dimension: 22 x 140 x 210 mm (H x W x D)

>> Weight: Approx. 46g |(without the strap)

Lenovo’s new ThinkPad X1 Extreme has been designed for road office warriors who also want to have fun apart from working. It’s been further enhanced from the previous model with the concept of “Work Hard, Play Harder”.

The ThinkPad X1 Extreme features a large 15.6-inch display with high resolution and becomes first in the renowned series equipped with a graphic engine from Nvidia to let you play graphics-intensive games as well.

With a powerful processor, a generous amount of working memory and plenty of fast storage, the X1 Extreme is capable of handling data-intensive workloads, video and photo editing, graphics rendering, and virtual and mixed-reality experiences. It’s a strong performer in multiple fields such as education, training, healthcare and modelling.

Like its predecessors, the ThinkPad X1 Extreme is very tough too. Its chassis is made of four layers of reinforced carbon fibre forming the top cover structure, including a core layer that absorbs shocks. And with so much power on tap generating extra heat, a new aluminium-alloy bottom cover keeps it running cool by dissipating the heat more efficiently.

Like all ThinkPads, the X1 Extreme is tested against 12 military-grade requirements and more than 200 quality checks to ensure it can operate in extreme conditions. Lenovo says the X1 Extreme undergoes some of the most stringent product testing in the industry. It says the laptop has been tested in the arctic wilderness and desert dust storms, from zero gravity to spills and drops.

The one I got my hands on was powered by fast 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8850H 2.6GHz and was equipped with 64 gigabytes of DDR4 2,666MHz working memory or RAM and two SSD (Solid State Drive), each 512GB.

The graphics horsepower comes from Nvidia GeForce 1050Ti with 4GB of GDDR5 video memory. The X1 Extreme runs on the Windows 10 Pro 64-bit operating system.

The one I got to test came with a 4K UHD touchscreen display with 3,840×2160-pixel resolution. The display was very bright with 400 nits and 100 per cent compatible with Adobe 8+2-bit colour depth, so it’s very good for photo editing.

The display has Dolby Vision technology, making the laptop great for watching 4K HDR YouTube clips and movies streamed from Netflix or iflix. The laptop also has Dolby Audio Premium for better movie sound effects. When connected to headphones, you can also enjoy Dolby Atmos multi-channel sound effects. With its thin and light design, the X1 Extreme allows you to have workspaces anywhere, from home to office, coffeeship and on a plane. It’s 18.7mm thin and weighs 1.8 kilograms.

You get up to 15 hours of battery life, so you can work and play longer on the go. Rapid Charge will then refuel the X1 Extreme up to 80 per cent in just 60 minutes for more work or play time.

The touchscreen capability brings smartphone-like control and smarter voice-control features with Cortana and Amazon Alexa offering a new dimension to PC interaction.

With Cortana Premium, you can speak commands from across the room. The integrated 360-degree far-field microphones ensure your voice carries its weight. For example, you can wake up your laptop with a simple phrase and quickly and easily find files and calendar events. You can even put your system into standby mode to improve battery performance.

During the test, I found the X1 Extreme handled business applications very fast. The laptop started up and shut down instantly. Photo editing was done fast and it played games and HD videos smoothly.

The X1 Extreme is also built for expansion, with two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports on its left side. Each one can simultaneously support high-resolution displays and high-performance data devices. So the X1 Extreme supports up to four independent displays – making working with complex computations, day trading or analysing big data a cinch.

Also on the left side are an HDMI 2.0 port, a network extension port and a combo audio/microphone port.

On the right side are a smart card reader, a 4-in-1 SD card reader, two USB 3.3 ports and a Kensington lock slot.

The laptop also comes with fast 802.11ac 2×2 (MIMO) network connection to allow you stream 4K movies from the Internet when connected to a fast MIMO wireless router. It also supports Bluetooth 5.0 wireless connections.

For security, the X1 Extreme comes with a match-on-chip touch fingerprint reader on the right side of the keyboard.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Extreme has a starting price of Bt79,990, depending on the configuration of CPU, memory, storage and type of display.

>> OS: Windows 10 Pro

>> Processor: 8th Gen Intel Core i7-8850H 2.6GHz

>> Memory: 64GB DDR4 RAM 2666MHz

>> Storage: 2 SSDs, each of 512GB

>> Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 1050Ti 4 GB GDDR5

>> Display: 4K UHD HDR touchscreen (3840 x 2160), 400 nit, 100 per cent Adobe 8+2-bit colour depth, with Dolby Vision

>> Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11ac 2×2, Bluetooth 5.0

>> Camera: HD 720p webcam

>> Audio: Dolby Audio Premium, Dolby Atmos for headset, noise-cancelling dual-array far field microphones

>> Keyboard: spill resistant, multi-touch glass touchpad, backlit with white LED lighting

>> Ports: Two USB 3.1 (Gen 1, one always on), two USB-C Thunderbolt 3, 4-in-1 SD card reader, HDMI 2.0, Network extension connector, Combo audio/mic

>> Battery: Up to 15 hours, four cell, 80Wh, with Rapid Charge technology

>> Dimensions: 361.8×245.7×18.7mm

>> Weight: 1.8kg

Teerawat “Kage” Mulvilai, co-artistic director of B-Floor Theatre was the picture of delight on Tuesday evening at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) as he stepped up to the stage at the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) Thailand Dance and Theatre Awards 2018 to receive the evening’s third award for “Something Missing Vol 3”, which he co-directed.

The production, which won all three of the awards for which it was nominated, namely best art direction, performance by an ensemble and movement-based performance, was co-directed by Teerawat and he told the assembled audience that his South Korean partner-in-crime Theatre Momggol would be equally delighted and honoured, adding that the physical theatre work showed that the two democratic countries share a lot in terms of social and political problems.

The IATC Thailand Awards 2018 recipients pose with IATC Thailand members.

The matchmaker was the Korean Cultural Centre in Bangkok and the two directors took turns staging the first two versions in 2015 and 2016 at Thong Lor Art Space, with support from Korean Arts Management Services (KAMS). The last was supported by the BACC’s Performative Art Festival (PAF) and the Office of Contemporary Arts and Culture (OCAC), although the level of funding was lower and putting it on was a great challenge.

In his acceptance speech, the latest Silpathorn artist also encouraged all to cast their votes on March 24, saying. “As artists, we need to support those who support arts.”

Set and lighting designer Krissara Warissarapuricha received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Another international co-production to pick up a top award for best play was chelfitsch’s “Pratthana – A Portrait of Possess ion”, with a Thai cast and a Japanese crew. It premiered in Bangkok, has already been seen in Paris and will soon be staged in Tokyo. Credit for this political and social drama is also due to the Japan Foundation who first introduced internationally acclaimed playwright and director Toshiki Okada to Thai theatre artists and audiences almost a decade ago.

Nophand Boonyai

Kage’s B-Floor colleague Ornanong “Golf” Thaisriwong was another winner for her solo performance in another politically charged work “Sawan Arcade”, which also reminded us to go to the polls. Golf’s previous solo work “Bang Lamerd” won best original script award many years ago before its revival caught the military government’s, and subsequently the international media’s, attention.

Her male counterpart is British expatriate James Laver whose chameleon skills were put to test in Peel the Limelight’s production of Tony Award-winning drama “I Am My Own Wife”. Laver was performing in “My Mother’s Kitchen” nearby at Siam Pic-Ganesha Centre for Performing Arts so he was unable to pick up the award himself.

Ornanong Thaisriwong

A previous winner in the acting category, Witwisit Hiranyawongkul took home best adapted script for his “deconstruction” script “{private conversation}: A Farewell to Love of Siam”, based on the script of popular movie “Love of Siam” which shot him to superstardom. “Thanks, theatre people who never say ‘no’ to me,” he said on stage.

Another big winner was Full Fat Theatre’s Nophand Boonyai who took home best original script award for “Taxi Radio” and best directing for “Siam Supernatural Tour”. Like all other award recipients, he thanked all his collaborators, reminding us that theatre is never an individual work, but always a collaboration.

Witwisit Hiranyawongkul

That sentiment was also reiterated by the number of theatre artists, from various institutions and generations, on Krissara Warissarapuricha’s list as he gave his acceptance speech for lifetime achievement award. The author of the first-ever Thai-language textbooks in set and lighting design, he’s still teaching at Bangkok University having retired from Chulalongkorn University. He also reminded us that the main purpose of theatre design is not to serve its designer, but the director and actors on the stage.

Before handing out the 10 awards, representatives from IATC Thailand explained why there were no awards for musical theatre this year, saying that the number of musical productions significantly decreased and the critics themselves didn’t watch enough of them. They also made note of the decline of space for theatre productions, with both Democrazy Theatre Studio and Thong Lor Art Space closed, and space for theatre reviews in popular media greatly reduced. Despite this, they expect more collaboration, or crossover, between visual and performing artists, and their spaces. The critics also commended the book “Micro Politics”, described as “a collection of individuals’ responses to politics through four contemporary Thai performance scripts”, all in both Thai and English and previous winners of IATC Thailand awards.

Read the reviews written by IATC Thailand members at Facebook.com/IATC.Thailand.

Launched in 2004, TDEX is designed to support the growth of scuba diving industry and serves as a showcase for both the largest dive operators and equipment brands.

Thailand has developed its reputation as an ideal diving destination in recent years and the Expo offers an opportunity to discover new and exciting destinations.

Find out more at http://www.ThailandDiveExpo.com/en/.

They’ve got the sound

Focal redefines home audio with a new series of slick-interior-outlook loudspeakers that blend into any surface. They’re on show in the electronics and kitchen appliances zone of Baan Lae Suan Fair 2019, which continues at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre until Sunday.

A leading French brand in highend headphones and speakers, Focal recently launched the new Electra Series 300 and Series 100, which are suitable for any room in your house.

For more information, visit http://www.facebook.com/FocalThailand.

Get it in print!

Asia Print Expo 2019 – a key event for Asian print service providers to source the latest equipment, software and consumables in one vibrant location – is back at Bitec Bangna from today until Saturday.

The exhibition seeks to serve the Asia region by providing access to the latest technological innovations in the printed graphics and signage industry and through a host of educational content to share global trends and knowledge.

For more information, visit http://www.Fespa.com/en/events/2019/asiaprintexpo2019.

Busted with Bougenvilla

Rising Dutch DJ & Producer Bougenvilla is back in Bangkok tonight and will be manning the deck at Levels Club until late.

An amazing soldout show last year as well as collaborations with the world’s biggest DJs make Bougenvilla stand out from the rest.

Tickets are Bt400 for men and Bt300 for ladies with one free drink.

Make a reservation at (082) 308 3246 or email info@levelsclub.com.

Night out with Lee

A DJ well known for his contagious energy, Rob Lee comes to Insanity Nightclub tomorrow night. His shows can be defined as kinetic and impressive with eclectic sets that evade the mainstream yet remain catchy, familiar, and littered with massive bangers including his own outstanding productions.

Tickets are Bt400 for men and Bt300 for ladies with one free drink.

Book a table at (082) 731 8885 or email: info@clubinsanitybangkok.com.

THE MOST widely consumed staple in the world, rice has long been Thailand’s major export. While the country is expected to hold on its place as a leading supplier of the grain, competition in the ever-expanding global economy has led to the need for product innovation to raise the value bar and ensure top prices can be earned.

Launched by the Commerce Ministry’s Department of Export Promotion in 2015, the “Think Rice, Think Thailand – We serve the best quality rice to the world” campaign makes the point that Thai rice is no longer merely served on the table but is also as a key ingredient in medicine, skincare and cosmetics.

Reflecting the old adage that agriculture is the backbone of the country and, more specifically, referring to the farmers who work tirelessly to ensure their fellow countrymen are well-fed, the campaign aims to bring a new perception to rice production in the Thailand 4.0 era.

“For more than 30 years, Thailand was the top-ranked rice exporter but it has now been overtaken by India, which produces 110 million tons compared to Thailand’s 20-21 million tons. Half of that is exported and is worth Bt180.27 billion. Where Thailand has the advantage is in the variety of rice species. These include long grain, short grain, fragrant rice, parboiled rice, white rice, coloured rice, brown rice and glutinous rice and organic rice and are sold under such names as hom mali rice, hom mali brown rice, riceberry rice, red hom mali rice and so on,” Adul Chotinisakorn, director general of the Department of Foreign Trade explained during a recent lunch at Khao restaurant.

“Local strains have been registered for Geographical Identification (GI) for their own unique flavour, fragrance, and texture. Among them are Tung Kula rice from Surin province, and Sang Yod rice from Phatthalung. Today, rice products from Thailand are highly regarded and preferred by health-conscious consumers all over the world.

“Hom mali rice is very nutritious, containing high fibre, vitamins B1, B2, B3, carbohydrates, protein, iron, calcium and phosphorous. It’s also gluten free. Red hom mali rice has a low glycemic index and is high in antioxidants while Kor Khor 43 has a much lower glycemic index than ordinary rice, meaning that conversion of starch into sugar in the body takes place slowly and this helps keep blood sugar levels low,” he adds.

“There is an increased demand for such rice products as rice bran oil, rice cakes, rice cereals, rice crackers, rice noodles and even rice pasta as well as for non-food products. As we want to maintain our position as the world leader in rice and food production, we are embracing change and the more we look into our research, the more we discover interesting studies.”

Various products made of Thai rice were presented to the press during the lunch. One of the highlights is the Surada Rice Sponge – a haemostatic rice sponge developed by Punyanitya Medical Instrument, which acts as an intraoperative agent for stopping bleeding at low-pressure haemorrhagic sites, such as venous or capillary areas. You merely cut a small piece of the rice sponge and place it over the area that’s bleeding. After just a few seconds, the blood flow stops and the wound healing begins.

Rice is also used in serum and skincare products by Herbalist Siam. Its Red Jasmine Rice Phyto Cell Revitalising Cream claims to efficiently remove age marks by using cultured red jasmine rice callus to obtain an extract with more antioxidants than other extracts. Likewise, Smitra Gold Rice Serum also uses concentrated rice callus extract with the highly potent anti-oxidant and amino acids working in combination with 24K gold to rejuvenate the skin.

“Such rice products for medical and cosmetic use can greatly increase the price. The rice sponge value-added has soared more than 2,000 times,” Adul says.

Nutrition gets a boost with the young rice milk drink, produced from carefully selected rice species during their milky period. A product that’s lightly scented and easily digested, it’s packed with vitamins B1, B2, E, as well as calcium, soy bean protein and minerals to boost the immune system, is low in fat and contains no cholesterol.

Rice is also the key active ingredient for such popular skincare products as the rice soap collection by Cosmos and Harmony, the Hom-Nin Rice Series moisturising hair care and scalp treatment, the Yod Sang rice hair revitalising tonic and various products made under the Apaiphubeth Hospital brand including lip balm and talc-free baby powder.

“The government is promoting and supporting the introduction of new technology and techniques to create rice innovations to enhance the competitiveness of Thai rice. Our Institute for Agricultural Product Innovation is promoting innovative agricultural businesses and pushing for full-scale development in line with the ‘4Cs’ strategy. These are: API Campaigns to introduce product innovations to various media; the API Contest to promote new ideas and recognition; API Connect to link researchers and manufacturers; and API Channel to provide marketing distribution outlets including new markets in foreign countries. We have taken our road show to Canada, the US, Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia. China is a very big and prosperous market that we intend to push strongly.”

Chefs and food bloggers also have a role to play, especially in teaching the world how the taste and texture of rice differ from one variety to another and showing how each one is suited for different dishes and desserts.

Vichit Mukura of Khao Restaurant, who worked as head chef of the top Thai restaurant Sala Rim Nam at the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok for more than 30 years, has invested his energies in rice farming for seven years now, doing everything from transplanting rice seedlings to harvesting and bringing it to the table.

“I wanted to spend my retirement living with rice, not just cooking it. I bought some land in my home province of Chon Buri and started work on the entire process. It’s been a wonderful experience. When the rice flowers are blooming and pushing into ears of rice, the fragrance is so beautiful that I built a house right next to the rice field. I chose to plant red hom mali rice. The colour is beautiful and has great health benefits. Rice tea is one of my favourites. In the old days, Thai people commonly drank rice juice. I add mint for a sweeter, fresher scent,” he says.

For his special rice menu, Vichit cooked spicy minced pork with curry rice wrap, deep-fried prawn and squid cake, spicy duck salad with foie gras and condiments, double boiled fish consomme soup with Taraba crab and, for the main course, served grill Australian beef tenderloin with chilli dip, fresh herbs and sticky rice.

“Sticky rice –or khao nieow in Thai – is ideal for pairing with grilled, steamed and spicy food as well as for making desserts because of its texture, which is sticky but also fluffy, soft and fragrant. I use rice to make ice cream with sugar cane, sticky rice with mango, and emerald tapioca with shredded coconut for dessert. Thai rice embodies our passion and goals in promoting the culinary world,” he says.

And with all the innovations in the ways that this simple grain can be used, it’s easy to understand why rice has always been and still is the country’s most important crop.