VietNamNet Bridge – A slew of companies from the United States and Europe are showcasing meat, dairy products and drinks at the ongoing international food and hotel show in HCMC in an effort to increase exports of agricultural produce of their countries to Vietnam.

 

A corner of the Food and Hotel Vietnam 2013 on the opening day. 

The firms from the two largest export markets of Vietnam are among 434 companies of different nationalities participating in the Food and Hotel Vietnam 2013, which kicked off on Wednesday at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in District 7.

Jan de Graaf, general manager of German Food Asia Co., Ltd, said Vietnam was an important market for German businesses as the demand for quality food and drinks in this market kept growing strongly.

De Graaf demonstrated that exports of German food and drinks alone to Vietnam last year doubled the value in 2010 to 85 million euros. Last year saw an increase of nearly 50% in those products exported to Vietnam.  

“German companies can supply quality products that Vietnam needs… More tourists come to Vietnam and they also look for imported food and drinks,” he said.

Silva Rodriguez, director general for agriculture and rural development at the European Commission unveiled that Vietnam consumed a large volume of agricultural and processed products from the European Union (EU), with imports worth 415 million euros last year.

However, Vietnam has not imported the traditional dairy products of EU, including a lot of cheese. “Therefore, this market still holds huge potential for European products,” Rodriguez told the Daily at the event.

Like European companies, 21 businesses and four agriculture associations from the U.S. are showing the food and agricultural products they can offer to corporate visitors at the USA Pavilion at the three-day event.             

U.S. ambassador to Vietnam David B. Shear said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the USA Pavilion on Wednesday that U.S. food and agricultural exports to Vietnam continued to grow, reaching a record US$1.8 billion last year.

The rising momentum remains this year. “During the first two months of this year, our food and agricultural exports were up 70% compared to the same period in 2012, and I am confident that after this show, our export sales will track even higher,” the ambassador said in his speech at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Shear told the Daily that Vietnam was a large and growing market for the U.S., and it promised much for U.S. companies. “A lot of American exporters believe there are great opportunities here, and that’s why we see so many people at the USA Pavilion,” he said.   

Dwight Anthony Wilder, agricultural attaché at the U.S. consulate general in HCMC, elaborated in a USA Pavilion directory available at the event that agricultural trade between Vietnam and the U.S. had grown rapidly since normalization of relations in 1995, from virtually nothing prior to normalization.

“Vietnam holds much promise as a market for U.S. consumer-oriented food product exports, which totaled US$657 million last year. As one of the fastest growing economies in Asia, and with a growing middle class and limited land resources, Vietnam’s demand for imported - particularly protein sources - looks sure to increase,” Wilder said.      

The ambassador and head of the EU Delegation to Vietnam, Franz Jessen told the Daily at the food and hotel show that Vietnam had a big population of around 90 million and a consumer segment demanding high-quality products from Europe that had not been produced in Vietnam.

“I think today’s fair is a great opportunity for European companies to show their products and technology to Vietnam and its consumers,” Jessen said.

In addition to food and drinks, foreign companies also exhibit their machines and technology for food processing at pavilions representing a nation and a group of countries at the Food and Hotel Vietnam 2013.

Source: SGT