New Delhi (VNA) — A webinar hosted by the Vietnam Trade Office in India on December 17 highlighted opportunities to strengthen Vietnam–India cooperation in food and beverage (F&B) through Indusfood, India's largest and most prestigious trade fair in this sector.
The event attracted strong participation from businesses, industry associations, importers and trade partners from both countries.
The webinar, titled “Promoting Vietnam–India cooperation in food and beverage (F&B) at Indusfood”, focused on market potential, trade promotion channels and practical guidance for Vietnamese enterprises seeking access to India’s fast-growing consumer market.
Addressing the event, Bui Trung Thuong, Trade Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy in India, outlined key features of the Indian market, noting its population of more than 1.45 billion and a rapidly expanding middle class.
He said demand is rising for processed foods, beverages, high-quality agricultural products and items meeting food safety and health standards, creating significant opportunities for Vietnamese exporters. Products with strong potential include coffee, cashew nuts, pepper, processed seafood, packaged foods, beverages and other value-added items.
The webinar also introduced Indusfood as an effective trade promotion channel, enabling Vietnamese companies to directly engage with Indian importers, distribution networks, retail chains and e-commerce platforms, thereby facilitating market expansion and long-term partnerships.
Sachin Kumar, deputy head of trade promotion and government relations at the Trade Promotion Council of India, said Indusfood is India’s leading F&B exhibition, held annually since 2017 under the patronage of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
He described the fair as a key gateway for international products, including Vietnamese goods, to enter the Indian market. Originally designed to connect Indian producers with global buyers, Indusfood has evolved into South Asia’s largest “farm-to-fork” F&B event.
Indusfood 2025 brought together more than 1,800 Indian companies, over 200 international firms and more than 20 national pavilions. With an exhibition area exceeding 80,000 square metres, the event attracted over 7,500 global buyers, including more than 100 leading retail chains and online distributors, offering wide-ranging opportunities for contract signing and deeper penetration into India’s distribution system.
The Q&A session focused on issues of interest to businesses, such as buyer programmes, booth costs, priority product categories, import regulations, food standards, market-entry strategies and experience in seeking partners in India.
Thuong noted that as Vietnam and India will celebrate the 10th anniversary of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2026, economic and trade cooperation will be a key pillar, with F&B emerging as a promising area aligned with both sides’ market and supply-chain diversification strategies.
He encouraged Vietnamese enterprises to prepare carefully and make full use of support from the Vietnam Trade Office in India when participating in Indusfood 2026./.
