Vietnam, June 7 (KNN) With a view to forge business partnership worldwide, many Vietnamese firms are set to participate in the Vibrant Tamil Nadu Expo and Summit to be held in Madurai from August 12 to August 15, 2018.

This expo will showcase varieties of highly innovative value added food products of Tamil Nadu under one roof.

Speaking at the meeting held in HCM city of Vietnam, Jeevan Kandpal the Indian consul in the city, said the food industry-focused expo would provide “opportunities to forge business partnerships world-wide.”

This Expo will bring together all the stakeholders from “farm to fork” viz. farmers, food processors, manufacturers, traders, exporters and importers – both domestic and international – and consumers to a unique platform to harness the export opportunity of farmers and food processors in Tamil Nadu for their foray into national and international markets, he added.

It will be a lucrative opportunity for Vietnamese firms as India’s food market is large and diverse, Kandpal said.

Highlighting Indian food market, Kandpal said, “India is the world’s second largest producer of fruits and vegetables, marine products, and meat and poultry.”

He said, not only this it is the largest producer of milk with production estimated at 155.5 tonnes and its food and grocery market is the world’s sixth largest, with retail contributing 70 per cent of the sales.

“The Indian Government has relaxed norms for the sector, allowing up to 100 per cent FDI in food product e-commerce through the automatic route, and the wide consumer base should be a magnet for creating successful business ventures”, Kandpal  added.

Nguyen The Hung, deputy director of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s HCM City hoped that through the expo Vietnamese agricultural products, foods and beverages would enter the Indian market.

Vietnamese firms would also have the opportunity to network with international partners at the event, he said. 

Nguyen Dinh Truong, representative of the Viet Nam Cashew Association, said cashew enterprises are very interested in the Indian market and, in addition to participating in the expo, would also want to visit leading cashew processing facilities there.

The District 5 Business Association said it would send a delegation to the expo.