Int’l farm expos offer opportunities for Vietnam’s vegetables export

HCM City (VNA) – HortEx Vietnam 2018 - the first International Exhibition & Conference for Horticultural and Floricultural Production and Processing Technology in Vietnam, opened at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City on March 14.

The three-day event aims to promote dialogues between enterprises and policy makers, help participants meet potential customers and partners and explore the potential of Vietnam - an exciting growth market.

In his opening speech, Nguyen Hong Son Director of the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, stressed that Vietnam has created crucial breakthroughs in sustainably developing its vegetable and fruit industry.

The country has increased investment in infrastructure for production and processing, and formed concentrated goods production areas, he noted, adding that key products for export and domestic consumption in connection with production areas have been linked.

Vietnam has paid due attention to developing and applying scientific and technological achievements to improve productivity and product quality, especially techniques for crop management, and those to product high-quality flowers, he said.

According to Son, links in agricultural production have been fostered among localities. The country has also built brands and geographical indication for key products such as dragon fruits, litchi, longan, mango and pomelo. Cultivation areas under VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards have been formed. And Vietnam’s exports have been expanded to choosy markets such the US, Japan, Australia and the European Union.

Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports hit 3.51 billion USD in 2017, up 43 percent year-on-year, and a record trade surplus of 2 billion USD.

However, Son also mentioned difficulties facing the sector, noting that the application of advanced farming techniques, investment for post-harvest preservation remains limited and the processing industry is developing slowly.

The same day, the Agri Machinery & Tech Vietnam 2018 featuring technologies and machinery for agricultural production, and the ILDEX Vietnam 2018 displaying products related to livestock and animal feed industry also took place at the SECC.

The events served as bridges connecting domestic and international enterprises operating in the two fields, allowing foreign firms to seek business and investment opportunities in Vietnam and adjacent countries.-VNA