At the press briefing to introduce HortEx Vietnam 2023 in HCM City on February 15. — VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HortEx Vietnam 2023, the fifth international exhibition and conference for horticultural and floricultural production and processing technology in Việt Nam, will be held in HCM City’s Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre from March 1 to 3.

The exhibition has attracted nearly 200 exhibitors from 25 countries and territories, including Belgium, mainland China, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the UK, and the host Việt Nam, with those from Egypt and the UK attending the show for the first time.

There will be national pavilions of the Netherlands, Turkey, Taiwan, and Việt Nam. This year, the Netherlands is a “partner country” at the expo, with the participation of 30 Dutch companies under the Netherlands pavilion organised by the Netherlands Embassy in Hà Nội.

In addition to showcasing equipment and technologies for the vegetable, flower and fruit industries, the expo will feature seminars, a fruit and vegetable export forum, Grower Talks, B2B business matchmaking, a flower showcase, a premium fruit showcase and other activities.

To facilitate farmers to have access to new technologies and products from all over the world, the organising committee will provide free shuttle buses for delegations of 40 people or more from provinces to visit the exhibition and attend the seminar.

HortEx Vietnam has become the largest professional meeting place in Southeast Asia for businesses and experts in horticultural and floricultural industry, and helps Vietnamese businesses access advanced technology in the world and expand export markets, said Nguyễn Bá Vinh, director of Minh Vi Exhibition & Advertising Services Company Limited (VEAS), one of the expo’s organisers.

Jointly organised by VEAS, Nova Exhibitions BV Company (Netherlands), and China Great Wall International Exhibition Co., Ltd, the exhibition is expected to attract 8,000 trade visitors.

Đặng Phúc Nguyên, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association, said Việt Nam has the potential to become one of the major fruit exporters for the world. The country has an area of 1.2 million hectares of fruit growing, with total output of about 12 million tonnes a year.

Vegetables and fruit export revenue is over US$3.5 billion per year, he said. — VNS