Food Minister Afroza Khanam has said Bangladesh's food products are now being exported worldwide with a good reputation, and that the country has the capacity to earn large amounts of foreign exchange from the agro-processing sector in future.

She was speaking as chief guest at the opening of the 11th BAPA Foodpro International Expo 2026 at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in Dhaka on Thursday, 10 September. The international exhibition on food processing and packaging technology, organised jointly by the Bangladesh Agro-Processors' Association (BAPA) and Rainbow Exhibition and Event Management Services Limited (REEMS), runs until Saturday, 12 September.

The minister said BAPA plays a big role in advancing the food processing industry, and that the fair shows the sector's capacity and new possibilities, builds bridges between businesses from different countries and will help raise exports. Farmers are producing large amounts of food, she said, which must be processed better to meet domestic demand and increase exports, and the focus must be on good and safe products, not just higher output, so that Bangladeshi goods win more acceptance worldwide.

More than 200 brands from 27 countries are taking part, and the organisers expect over 24,000 visitors in three days. The participating countries are Algeria, Australia, Bangladesh, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Special guests included Italian Ambassador Antonio Alessandro, Bangladesh Food Safety Authority chairman Md. Shafiqul Islam, BSTI director general Kazi Imdadul Haque and FBCCI administrator Md. Fazlul Haque.

Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, chairman of the expo organising committee and of PRAN-RFL Group, said the food processing industry is going through an important transition. "To cope with production costs, the energy crisis, supply-chain complexity and growing competition in international markets, industries must rapidly increase their technological capacity," he said, adding that automation, AI, robotics, machine vision and smart factory technology would raise productivity, ensure quality and reduce waste.

BAPA president Mahbub Anam said the use of modern technology and international standards is vital for the agro-processing sector, and that the exhibition would connect local entrepreneurs with new technology and business partners and support investment, product diversification and export growth.

Exhibitors are showing processing, filling, packaging, coding and marking, labelling, quality inspection, warehousing, cold chain and logistics technology, with special attention to AI-driven automation, machine vision, robotics, smart factories, industrial IoT and sustainable packaging. More than 4,000 technology and machinery-based solutions are on display. The Food Ingredients Bangladesh Expo 2026 is being held at the same venue, featuring functional foods and beverages, nutraceuticals, alternative proteins and plant-based formulations. Other features include a session stage, FP Gourmet, Drinksphere, the Global Food Security and Technology Forum and a Creative Design Village.

The exhibition is open from 10am to 7pm on 10 and 11 September and from 10am to 6:30pm on 12 September. Details are available at www.foodpro.com.bd.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.