 To thank Minister Wong and also President Hongbo for giving us perspectives on a common set of problems, but also opportunities for the future, but from quite different perspectives. And I expect this to be a theme that will pick up throughout the Congress. Even the first IRC held in Beijing in 2002, this conference has evolved from a forum primarily focused on the science of rice production into a more inclusive and dynamic gathering representing the entire rice value chain and indeed the agriculture industry more broadly. That in itself, in my humble opinion, makes this conference a success. Singapore is an iconic place to hold a conference that will examine the future of rice value chains. Across the majority of rice producing countries, rapid urbanization is creating new rice markets. These require rural to urban value chains and greater awareness of consumers' demands for rice that has specific eating quality and is nutritious, perhaps low glycemic index minister, safe and sustainably produced rice. Singapore's customers, consumers like those in the rapidly emerging middle class across Asia demand access to a variety of rises of specific quality and origin. In acknowledging Singapore as a venue for this conference, I wish to express my gratitude to the government of Singapore for the tremendous support they have provided us and for hosting IRC 2018. In particular, I would like to recognize the support of His Excellency Lawrence Wong, Minister of National Development and Mr. Lim Kok Tai, Chief Executive Officer of the AgriFood and Veterinary Authority of Singapore as my steering committee co-chairs. Your support has ensured that this is a groundbreaking Congress. I wish to also thank the Organizing and Science Program Committee chairs and their respective members for putting together a very rich and engaging conference program. Our international partners, sponsors and exhibitors are also thank for supporting our vision and fueling our goals for this conference. I'm sure everyone shares my excitement for the insightful and jam-packed three days we have ahead of us. I know that one topic we will focus heavily on is our current global condition and the challenges we collectively face. Given the current growth rate, the global population is expected to reach almost 10 billion people by 2050. Much of this growth will occur in poor, densely populated regions in Asia and Africa that are already highly dependent on rice for food, nutrition and livelihoods. These populations will be further challenged by the realities of climate change and we as a community must provide the innovations and innovative thinking to meet and overcome these challenges. At Erie, our first step is to remain committed to contributing research for development to provide sustainable economic advancement for the millions of rice farmers and consumers across the globe who are less fortunate. We continue to serve the poorest of the poor and the smallholder farmer. We also work to assist those taking strides up the economic and social development ladder who need access to improve technologies and strategies for their rice sector. Erie has dedicated most of its 60 years of innovative research to unlocking the full potential of rice precisely to prepare nations and their peoples for these inevitable challenges. Through this conference we will revisit but familiar but incredibly important topics such as the central role genetic diversity plays in producing climate ready rice crops. We will look at technologies for more sustainable rice production systems and we will examine the needs of governments and other stakeholders for evidence based policies and a coordinated effort across public and private sectors that supports rice research development and extension. We will also look to the future to exploit our increasing ability to gather and analyze a mind-boggling and ever-growing array of data sources. Analysis that can be used to build future scenarios and foresighting which will guide the prioritization of research development and policy. We also recognize that the transformation of the rice sector cannot be accomplished by any one research organization or any one country or just the public sector or just the private sector alone. It is that common mission that is the driving force that brings us together here today. Beyond this congress Erie is investing significantly in catalytic activities that take science and new knowledge from the point of discovery to validation to implementation. One element of our strategy is strengthening partnerships and alliances with the rice sector actors across countries borders and sectors of society. A second element is strengthening our regional presence so that scientists and researchers are able to work more closely with national partners and really understand and respond to local challenges. For example, we will soon inaugurate the Erie South Asia Regional Centre in Varanasi India and we acknowledge the strong support of the Government of India for this initiative. The Centre of Excellence will feature state-of-the-art labs for grain quality and abiotic stress research. The Centre will also underpin a third strategy to catalyze change, developing Erie education as our primary vehicle to share knowledge with farmers, scientists and rice sector participants. Our South Asia Centre will support South-South collaboration, capacity building and technology delivery across South Asia and also in Africa. As we progress towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we must also recognize how intricate and interconnected our paths are. Our greatest strength is the ability to learn from each other's experience. This conference is our way of inviting some of the most creative and innovative thinkers from within and outside the agriculture sector to contribute to uncovering solutions to our future problems. We all share a common purpose to create a sustainable and equitable global rice sector that transforms lives for the better. My greatest hope is that this conference moves us one step closer to achieving that shared purpose. Once again, thank you to all of you and I look forward to making this a meaningful learning experience for you all. Thank you.