Behind every packaged food that reaches a consumer lies a long supply chain. From seed, fertiliser and farm inputs to production, processing, storage, packaging and marketing, every step needs specialised machinery, technology and materials. The 11th BAPA Foodpro International Expo has brought the whole agriculture and food processing industry together under one roof.

The three-day international exhibition on food processing and packaging technology opened on Thursday, 10 September, at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in Dhaka and runs until Saturday, 12 September.

More than 200 brands and companies from 27 countries are taking part. Besides Bangladeshi firms, companies have come from Algeria, Australia, 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. Alongside technology, machinery, inputs and services, the fair displays domestic and export-oriented farm and food products, and banks and financial institutions interested in investing in food processing have stalls.

Shantanu Sarkar, senior product manager of the German company Döhler, said the company had been supplying Bangladesh for about 20 years and does business with large firms such as PRAN and Akij. Döhler supplies almost every kind of food-ingredient-based solution, he said, and there is great potential because Bangladeshi companies are doing well in both domestic and global markets.

Saiful Haque, deputy general manager of the American company IFF, said it had taken part in the exhibition for several years in a row, strengthening relations with old buyers and gaining new ones. Abdus Samad, manager of Bangladesh's Expert Industrial Solution and Technology Limited, founded in 2004, said the company offers entrepreneurs every service from setting up a factory to producing goods.

Exhibitors are showing modern technology for processing, filling, packaging, coding and marking, labelling, quality inspection, warehousing, cold chain and logistics. AI-driven automation, machine vision, robotics, smart factories, industrial IoT, modern processing machinery and sustainable packaging materials and design are receiving special attention. The organisers say more than 4,000 technology and machinery-based solutions are being presented.

PRAN-RFL Group is displaying its food brands and technology, including food and drinks, Tasty Treat bakery and fast food and sweets. Its event head, Jamirul Haque Sajjad, said visitors were being offered a 15 percent discount and new products such as doughnut cake, Sabiha ground spices and a Milkis flavoured drink were on display.

Eight banks are taking part in Foodpro for the first time. Jafrin Siddiqui, FAVP (SME and agri banking) at UCB Bank, said the bank wants to be a financier for the large producers and suppliers present and is promoting a package called Suchona, through which a new entrepreneur can obtain a loan of up to Tk 6 lakh within a day.

The exhibition is open to all from 10am to 7pm on 10 and 11 September and from 10am to 6:30pm on 12 September.

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