A corner Vinh orange booth at the 15th international agriculture trade fair in Ha Noi. The orange is a special fruit of Vinh City in central Nghe An Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Vu Sinh

HA NOI (Biz Hub)— Special agricultural products across the country are on display at the 15th international agriculture trade fair or AGROVIET 2015 in the capital city.

Launched at 489, Hoang Quoc Viet Street with nearly 400 stalls of domestic and foreign businesses, the event showcases the country's agricultural achievement in the past 70 years, a key economic area in Viet Nam, and focusses on food safety and creating opportunities for businesses to exchange and seek partners.

It will conclude on November 9.

Product sectors on display include fresh and preserved fruits and vegetables, poultry, seafood, and meat and processed meat products, in addition to edible oil, dairy products, health food, and frozen prepared food.

The trade fair also displays canned and baked food, coffee and tea, and juice and soft drinks, apart from condiments and confectionery.

It also introduces latest machines and technology for agriculture and rural development, including a packaging and preservation system for agricultural products and beverage, agricultural materials such as fertilisers, insecticides and preservative, and veterinary drugs and biochemical products, apart from breed and supporting services of varieties of plants, animals, and supporting services for agricultural development.

Special products at the fair include Bao Minh rice, Thai Nguyen tea, and San Nam dried fruits and fresh fruits from northern, central and southern regions of Viet Nam, such as guava, Vinh orange, buoi hong da xanh (green-peel and pink-flesh) grapefruits, and Nam Roi grapefruits, in addition to seafood and Phan Thiet sauce.

The country's agriculture has developed rapidly in the past year and obtained satisfactory results. It has seen environmentally-friendly production, and met the requirements of quality and food safety. Last year, the country earned an export turnover of about US$30 billion, 11.2 per cent higher than 2013.

The domestic agricultural production faced many difficulties in 2015 due to the impact of natural disasters, epidemics on animals and poultry, and especially fluctuations in the market. In the first ten months of this year, the country earned $24.6 billion from exports, a year-on-year decline of 3.8 per cent.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the fair themed "Strengthening processing and food preservation" on November 6, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam said market expansion was seen as the most important task to help the sector overcome its difficulties and continue development.

Nam said the fair's activities were aimed at disseminating an agricultural brand name, introducing products, apart from sharing experiences, information and advanced technology. These would help develop international relationships and increase competition of agro-products and seafood in domestic and foreign markets.

The fair, which was also attended by businesses from Japan, South Africa, Malaysia, and China along with India, will include a dialogue between Vietnamese and foreign businesses, technical exchange between scientists and farmers and seminars on strengthening co-operation in the production chain, and consumption of agro-products, in addition to pushing up high-tech applications in preservation and processing. — VNS