HÀ NỘI — The 2017 VietFood, Beverage and Professional Packing Machines (VietFood & Beverage-ProPack) international exhibition has returned to Hà Nội. The second annual show kicked off with an opening ceremony held on Wednesday, gathering over 200 participants from 11 countries and territories.

The exhibition, taking place at the Hà Nội International Exhibition Centre in 91 Trần Hưng Đạo Street, will last until November 11.

It has been successfully held in HCM City for 22 years annually and was held in the capital city for the first time last year. Both cities will now host the expo every year.

Vietfood & Beverage-ProPack 2017, a prestigious and professional event in the food industry, attracts well-known domestic and international brands. This year, the event in Hà Nội has more than 200 pavilions of exhibitors from South Korea, Greece, Singapore and Denmark, as well as Bulgaria, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and India, along with mainland China and Việt Nam.

Products displayed at the exhibition include vegetables (fresh, dried, canned, processed), seafood (cooked, frozen), agricultural products (coffee, tea, cashew, pepper) and food ingredients, as well as beverages and confectionery, in addition to machinery and equipment, packaging and food preservation products and franchise opportunities.

Local companies make up about half of the 200 participants.

For the first time this year, the event will host a business from Greece, Kronos S.A., an industrial and commercial enterprise of canned fruits and vegetables.

Michalis Luchounas, Export Commercial Director of Kronos S.A., told Việt Nam News the company had been selling products in Việt Nam now for three years.

“We have an agent in HCM City, selling peaches under the brand ‘Kronos’. Our business is growing well in the Vietnamese market, which is a very potential market for us,” Luchounas said. “Our factory in Greece produces many kinds of fruit but we are starting with the peaches in Việt Nam as they are much favoured here. Our products are mainly consumed by coffee shops and beverage companies.”

Kim Eung Hwan, from the Agriculture Services Bureau and Agriculture Products Distribution Division in Chungnam Province of South Korea, said that the company displayed many products and local specialties.

He added that his province was introducing organic and clean agriculture products, which had been sold in some supermarkets in Việt Nam for some years now, and that VietFood & Beverage-ProPack 2017 created opportunities for them to meet with local buyers and investors, thus expanding their opportunities for exchanges and investment.

Nguyễn Quang Chiến, Director of the Phan Thiết Seafood Co., Ltd said this was the second time his company had attended the expo.

“In addition to the Vietnamese businesses that are participating in the event, there are also foreign companies that are promoting their products. I think that besides product quality, local businesses also need to focus on the product designs and services to compete with foreign competitors,” Chiến said.

The expo is organised by the Việt Nam National Trade Fair and Advertising Company (Vinexad), in collaboration with the HCM Food and Foodstuff Association (FFA), the Việt Nam Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Association (VBA),

In August, the exhibition in HCM City attracted 512 companies and 608 pavilions from 20 countries and territories, including Poland, South Korea, Malaysia, India, Thailand and China.

The event drew over 15,300 visitors. Working sessions enabled 3,000 businesspeople to secure deals. — VNS