From 13-15 March HortEx Vietnam 2019 took place at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City.
This year the exhibition doubled in terms of size compared to the first edition in 2018. During the 3 days of HortEx Vietnam the exhibition welcomed 6,000 visitors from Vietnam and many other countries in the region such as for example: Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Philippines, Japan, Cambodia, Myanmar and India.
The number of visitors has increased with 25% in comparison to the first edition of HortEx Vietnam in 2018 and confirms the growing interest from growers and other industry professionals to obtain market information, find new suppliers and learn about new technologies and equipment.
Nearly 200 exhibitors from 28 countries showcased their products and latest novelties. HortEx Vietnam attracted leading players in horticulture and floriculture and offered visitors a very diverse range of products within the horticulture and floriculture sector.
In this year’s second edition, HortEx Vietnam has also actively collaborated with numerous domestic agencies and foreign embassies, including Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam; The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Vietnam; Vietnam Fruit & Vegetable Association; Dalat Flower Association; Vietnam Seed Trade Association and other reliable sector organizations to support and promote activities for the exhibition and the conference.
Extensive side program
One of the key success factors of HortEx Vietnam is the extensive side program, which is being organised during the exhibition.
The aim of the organisers is to develop HortEx Vietnam into a comprehensive platform for the entire horticulture and floriculture sector for Vietnam and neighbouring countries, an extensive side program and knowledge exchange is a crucial element within such a platform.
During this year's edition the exhibition hosted a dedicated Export Forum, which included a Fruit Flower Vegetable Export Promotion. During these forums B2B matching was done between some 200 Vietnamese growers and key buyer groups from China and Singapore.
In addition a special session was devoted to export opportunities between Vietnam and the European Union. Topics included: overview of the European market for fruits & vegetables (facts, trends, forecasts), market access requirements for sustainable business in Europe and successful export promotion and branding.
Another highlight of the side program was organized on the last day of the exhibition by The Netherlands Embassy in Vietnam in close co-operation with Wageningen University and Research, the Post Harvest Network and VinaFruit. The focus of the seminar program was Opportunities of Circular Agro-Food Value Chains: Boosting the transition!
At the Seminar, the Netherlands and Vietnamese experts focused not only on reducing food losses and waste that occurs along the value chain from farm to the final consumer but rather shared their experience, knowledge and technology in turning these food losses and waste into opportunities to improve the supply chain and in the end, to get the best value for their money.
Vietnamese horticulture and floriculture offering tremendous opportunities
Vietnam has the ambition to become the vegetable growing heart of Southeast Asia and to become a regional and global player in agriculture and horticulture.
Mr. Willem Schoustra, Agricultural Counsellor of the Netherlands Embassy in Vietnam states: “While the covered cultivation of vegetables develops, the flower growers follow closely. As the consumer has more to spend, the flower industry is growing as well”.
A significant milestone for the Vietnamese vegetables and fruits industry has been witnessed in the 2018 year when its export turnover reached a record high of USD 3.809 billion, up 8.8% compared to 2017. A further increase is expected for the coming years.
Vietnam with a population of some 95 million people and average GDP growth of 7.5% per year is the fastest growing economy in the ASEAN region (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and will remain a very high potential market in the years to come as the horticulture and floriculture sector is expected to develop into a mature and technical industry.
The next edition of HortEx Vietnam is scheduled for 26-28 February 2020 and will once again take place at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City.
For more information:
HortEx Vietnam
www.hortex-vietnam.com