International milk exhibition, fruit fair underway in southern Vietnam

The International Milk and Dairy Products Exhibition was opened in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday.

It has nearly 200 booths set up by local and foreign companies from Australia, the US, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and France.

They include Vinamilk, Nestle, Nutifood, Abbott, Vinasoy, Mead Johnson, Vinasoy, IDP, Nutricare, VP Milk, and Meiji Food.

The products on display include milk and dairy products, ingredients and technology for the dairy industry, processing and packaging lines, cattle feed and veterinary machines, milk testing equipment, packaging, recycling and environmental treatment technologies, digital transformation services and solutions for the dairy sector, and food safety management systems.

Organized by the Vietnam Dairy Association and the Vietnam Advertisement and Fair Exhibition JSC (Vietfair), the biennial event also includes conferences on solutions for creating a circular economy in the dairy industry, facilitating consumption of milk and milk products and speeding up digital transformation.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Tran Quang Trung, chairman of the Vietnam Dairy Association, said the volume of dairy products produced in the country has been steadily growing.

Many dairy companies have been investing in factories with modern technologies, seeking sustainable development through the circular economy, practising regenerative agriculture, using green and clean energy, and aiming for green consumption, he said.

They have been striving to provide customers with high-quality products, which have achieved global standards and conquered world markets, Trung noted.

Vietnamese milk and other dairy products worth $300 million are exported to nearly 60 countries and territories, he added.

Nguyen Quang Tri, executive director of marketing at Vinamilk, said: “From being a country in the list of 20 globally with the burden of malnutrition, Vietnam is now in the top four of Southeast Asia in terms of [the population’s]average height.

“From almost consumption in the 1990s, milk consumption per capita in Vietnam had grown dramatically to 27 liters/person/year by 2023.

“This is the result of numerous actions taken by government agencies, civil society and businesses over the years to raise awareness of healthcare for everyone, especially emphasizing the role of milk in the development of children's height, stature and intelligence.”

Nguyen Van Nga, chief representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Office in HCM City, said the exhibition is a significant trade promotion event for the dairy sector, a place for industry players to showcase their latest developments and achievements.

It is also a platform to network and exchange for experts, businesses and consumers, she added.

The event is taking place at the Phu Tho Indoor Sport Stadium in District 11 until June 2.

Meanwhile, the People's Committee of Binh Phuoc province in southern Vietnam is holding the seventh Fruit and Agricultural Products Fair 2024.

This year's fruit and agricultural products fair, to last until June 3, sees the participation of more than 400 booths.

These booths are divided into seven main areas including introducing typical agricultural products and One Community One Product (OCOP) of the province; introducing regional specialties; seedling; bonsai; wooden furniture and fine arts; commercial products; and livestock products.

The fair is a great place for managers, scientists, businesses and farmers to introduce, share experiences, and expand markets, especially of fruit and agricultural products.

Chairman of the provincial Farmers' Association Tran Van Vinh said that the fair has more innovations this year such as a concentrated display area for OCOP products and regional specialty agricultural products; the participation of farmer at booths, and a display area for products serving livestock farming.

In particular, seminars organized within the framework of the fair will focus on improving product quality and applying e-commerce to promote the province's products to the world market.

In addition, the fair also introduces effective smart agricultural models, high-tech agricultural products, OCOP products of the province and regional specialties.