The third International Exhibition and Conference for Horticultural and Floricultural Production and Processing Technology (HortEx Vietnam 2020) got underway in Ho Chi Minh City on February 26 with over 150 enterprises from 24 countries and territories globally taking part.

At the event (Photo: VNA) 

Covering a total area of 2,2000 sq.m, Hortex Vietnam 2020 represents the largest exhibition of vegetables, flowers, and fruits to be held in the nation and is expected to welcome roughly 4,500 visitors over three days.

Several nations which are home to a high-tech agriculture industry took the lead in the number of participating exhibitors including the Netherlands with 23 enterprises, Israel with 13 firms, and Spain with seven businesses.

Upon addressing the opening ceremony, Nguyen Hong Son, Director of the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, noted that vegetables, flowers, and fruits represent important groups of products that are part of the restructuring project of the country’s agriculture sector.

In recent years, the production scale, productivity, and output of vegetables, flowers, and fruits has increased by an average of 5 per cent per year with the export value of these groups rising by 30 per cent over the short term.

Despite this, the vegetable, flower, and fruit industry is facing numerous challenges such as a limited amount of investment, a lack of production and processing technology, coupled with unstable consumption markets.

In addition, the country’s agricultural exports to major markets such as China have encountered difficulties since the start of the year due to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic.

Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said amid challenging circumstance, HortEx Vietnam 2020 will see the participation of potential buyers from the United States, the Republic of Korea, Japan, the Netherlands, and Australia.

The event is therefore expected to provide a forum which can serve to strengthen trade links whilst seeking effective markets for the nation’s vegetable, flower, and fruit products.

Nguyen noted that the occasion is expected to provide a venue for management agencies, research institutes, and businesses to exchange information relating to investment, seek updates to production technology, whilst also sharing experience regarding production and trade activities.

HortEx Vietnam 2020 has also designed a program aimed at connecting local firms with international purchasing groups whilst helping to introduce their products to a range of foreign clients.

A number of seminars discussing market developments trends and cutting-edge technologies in the sector will also be held during the event, which is scheduled to run until February 28.