The two shows are Propak Vietnam 2012, which is a processing, filling and packaging exhibition, and Plastics and Rubber Vietnam, running till Friday this week at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in District 7.
Propak profiles industries include agriculture, bakery, dairy products, foods, beverages, cosmetics, health and beauty care, pharmaceutical and biotech products. The Plastics and Rubber show covers aerospace, automotive, precision engineering, electricity and electronics, furniture and healthcare.
The Propak show draws the five group pavilions of China, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. Meanwhile, the national pavilions in the other show represent Austria, China, Germany, Italy, Korea and Singapore.
The German Engineering Federation, shortly known as VDMA, joined the event for the first time, said Beatrix Fraese, manager for Food Processing Machinery at VDMA, said. “For the German engineering industry, Vietnam belongs to the upcoming markets in Asia. Few Asian countries have seen a comparable boom in the last 25 years,” she said.
“Vietnam today already counts among the 10 most important sales markets for packaged food and beverage in Asia. Market research experts of the firm Euromonitor expect an annual growth of expenditure for packaged food and beverages [worldwide] in the range of 11 per cent.
The Vietnamese food and beverage industry has grown rapidly in recent years according to observation. In 2010 alone, the local production of food and beverages grew almost 12 per cent.”
She added that Germany was currently the foremost exporter of food processing and packaging machinery for Vietnam, even surpassing China and Italy.
Austria is also represented at the trade show by a national booth and more than 10 companies, said Gerhard Schlattl, commercial attaché at the Austrian embassy Hanoi. He said Austrian President Heinz Fischer was set to make a three-day official visit and trade mission to Vietnam on May 29-31 to further boost bilateral cooperation and trade ties.
Vietnam’s export of plastic products was forecast to hit $1.35 billion in turnover this year, up 35 per cent over last year, said Bui Thi Thuc Anh, director of VCCI Exhibition Services, the Vietnamese organiser of the two shows.
Meanwhile, the foreign organisers include Thailand’s Bangkok Exhibition Services Ltd., German company Messe Dusseldorf Asia and Allworld Exhibitions Group.
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