FoodPro Int'l Expo ends with high note

The three-day 9th BAPA FoodPro International Expo 2023, an exhibition showcasing the food processing sector of Bangladesh, concluded in Dhaka on Saturday with a positive note.

According to organisers, the expo attracted approximately 10 thousand visitors this year. Alongside Bangladesh, more than 213 exhibitors from 23 countries, including India, China, Italy, Germany, USA, Switzerland, and others, presented their processed food products and machinery at over 160 stalls across four separate venues.

The Bangladesh Agro-Processors' Association (BAPA) organised the expo with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture at the International Convention City Bashundhara in the capital Dhaka.

The exhibitors showcased various machinery, including baking machines, packaging machines, noodles making lines, potato crackers machines, chocolate machines, frozen food making machines, wafer machines, candy machines, beverage, dairy, fruits and vegetable processing machines, cold storage, spice plants, food colouring, and different flavours.

The exhibitors said that the agro processing sector was an emerging sector and had a possibility to play a significant role for promoting export diversification.

Technofour Electronics Pvt Ltd, an Indian company, showcased a "combi checker," which is a combination of a metal detector and weight checker. This machine can detect any heavy metal or plastic mixed with a product and can also determine the weight of a packet.

Sanjib Karmakar, a sales engineer at Technofour Electronics Pvt Ltd, stated, "Even though we didn't receive many orders at this expo, we have taken note of visitors' demands. According to their requirements, we will incorporate new technologies into our machinery. Bangladesh offers a good market for machinery. Through this expo, we will assist customers in understanding their spontaneous demands and provide guidance to capture future markets."

He further stated, "Our primary focus is on the online product checking system. It quickly separates items based on whether they meet the specified weight criteria. Additionally, it rejects any metal, glass, or plastic contaminants. We offer products with prices ranging from $6,000 to $30,000."

Vertex Creation & Technologies imports machinery to Bangladesh from several countries, including China, Taiwan and India. Their latest addition is robotics, through which it establishes robot setups in the field of electricity production and goods handling within an industry.

Vertex Creation & Technologies set up a machine for toast making at the expo. It demonstrated the entire process from flour mixing to toast production, all done through a single machine. The machine was priced at Tk32 lakh, with a discount from its original price of Tk35 lakh during the expo. The company said it bagged orders for about 10 machines at the fair.

Mithun Chakraborty, an electrical engineer at Vertex Creation & Technologies, stated, "Through this machine, we can produce 300-400 kilograms of product per hour. This machine is imported from China. We have received more inquiries from customers at the expo than expected. At least 30% of our customers are newcomers who are looking to start a company. Additionally, many existing companies have visited to see our products. Based on customer demand, we will introduce our next products."

Umesh I Jagwani, managing director of Nature Rich Foods, stated that the event provided opportunities to explore new markets for sourcing agro-processed foods. He mentioned that visitors were interested in building a network to adopt new technologies for developing their food processing and packaging quality.

The visitors said that the innovation of new technology for processing food items and packaging was really impressive.

In addition to this fair, two other co-located expos named "11th Agro Bangladesh Expo 2023" and "Food Ingredient Expo 2023" were held at the same venue.

The event also featured a series of panel discussions on "Sustainability in Processing and Packaging for our Better World."

Event organising committee said that it arranged the event for sharing knowledge and technology for improving the food and packaging quality as the agro processing sector was a rising sector for promoting export diversification of the country.

Md Iktadul Haque, General Secretary of BAPA, said, "Even during this challenging economic period, we have achieved positive results as per our expectations. Despite various economic difficulties, including difficulties in opening LCs, the presence of people in this expo, with just 213 stalls in our small space, proves that we have fulfilled our expectations. In the upcoming days of this expo, both domestic and foreign companies from various sectors, including agro-machinery, will be able to supply products according to their expectations. Through this expo, companies will also make changes to their products based on customer feedback and expectations."