Speaking at the 56th International Agricultural Fair in Paris, French president Emmanuel Macron has spoken of the benefits that can be brought to the industry by the utilization of blockchain technologies.

President Macron has asserted that both the agricultural industry in France as well as the food industry, in general, will gain through the integration of blockchain:

“LET’S DO THIS IN EUROPE, [BE AT THE] THE VANGUARD OF AGRICULTURAL DATA BY DEVELOPING TOOLS THAT WILL TRACK EVERY PRODUCT FROM RAW MATERIAL PRODUCTION TO PACKAGING AND PROCESSING.”

The French president urged the EU to embrace the use of blockchain in order to tap into the potential which exists in both of these markets. Last year, the French government announced a partnership with IBM regarding its Pathways to Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) education system. This included the development of new skills in data science, cloud computing, internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and blockchain. The push forward on blockchain would see new graduates and experienced technical professionals filling the new vacancies created by the new government-led drive.

President Macron suggests that the successful use of blockchain in both the agricultural and food industries could see a trickle-down effect in other areas, arguing, “The innovation is there and it must be used in the agricultural world as doing so would both bring shared excellence and offer benefits to consumers.”

UNICEF France, who has already started accepting cryptocurrency donations for a number of its programs, is equally positive. Executive Director Sebastien Lyon commented: “Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology for charitable purposes offer a new opportunity to appeal to the generosity of the public and continue to develop our actions with children in our country of intervention.”