HCM City(VNA) – Vietnam’s Premier International Feed, Livestock, and Meat Industry Show(VietStock 2018) kicked off at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre(SECC) in downtown Ho Chi Minh City on October 17.

The event, Vietnam’sbiggest livestock trade show, is being held by UBM Asia in partnership with theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department of LivestockProduction.

The show features 368booths run by exhibitors from 46 countries and territories, including Thailand,the Republic of Korea, China, and Vietnam. They will be presenting new productsand technologies in the husbandry and meat processing industries. It also featuresbusiness matching events, as well as free international conference andtechnical seminars to connect businesses and industry experts, facilitatingtechnological transfers in the sector.

VietStock 2018 Expo and Forum has continued to include VietFeed2018, VietMeat 2018, and the Aquaculture Vietnam 2018 Conference, providing aone-stop venue to all involved in livestock, feed, meat, and aquaculture.

In his remarks at the event, Muthiah Gandhi – Group ManagingDirector and Vice President of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and thePhilippines for UBM Asia – said Vietnam is now the biggest animal feed producerin ASEAN and the 10th largest in the world.

There is plenty of room for Vietnam to expand its husbandryindustry thanks to its large population and rising income which have seen aclimb in the demand for meat, he noted. Vietnam also has competitive edge overothers in the region as the country has joined a number of free tradeagreements, paving the way for more opportunities for meat and animal feedproducts, the official added.

According to Nguyen Xuan Duong, Acting Director of theDepartment of Livestock Production, Vietnam exported chicken to Japan for thefirst time last year and started shipping frozen pork to Myanmar this year.

Together with husbandry, Vietnam’s aquaculture sector hasseen strong growth in recent years and is likely to exceed 9 billion USD inexports this year, Duong said.

To maintain competitiveness and sustainable development, hesuggested that businesses in the husbandry and aquaculture industries investmore in technology and apply advanced management in a bid to improveproductivity, quality, and food safety. They must also seek opportunitiesoverseas to boost exports, he added.

The VietStock 2018 will run through until October 19. –VNA