Not just about safety, but marketability Palmquist said that the game in Asia had fundamentally changed.“In the past, it’s all been about trying to find ways to move tremendous amounts of grain,” he said.“What we’re finding now is that the consumer is absolutely changing, and part of it is that the world is getting wealthier with bigger middle classes.”For example, he said what Japanese consumers wanted from buckwheat noodles had changed in recent years.“The real value to the consumer is right when it’s being steamed at home — what’s the smell which is imparted in the room. What does the colour of the water look like?,” Palmquist said.“When the noodle is being steamed, what’s the quality and the density of the noodle?”The problem is that information isn’t currently being captured in the supply chain — but if Australian agricultural operators can find a way to capture that information at the supply source, track it, and then verify the product’s authenticity they could have a marketing leg-up.“I think consumers want to have a greater understanding of the manufacturing process, and regulators are looking to create a full ecosystem without blind spots,” Alon said.“I also think the growers are starting to understand that demand, and want to get an eye on their hard work.”It’s why blockchain-led solutions like SMX are attracting attention in agricultural circles.Operators know that only by capturing and verifying information will they be able to prove their products’ value to the end consumer.It’s why Australia could go from being built on the sheep’s back to being built on the blockchain’s back.