The third annual SIMA ASEAN Thailand international agricultural trade show, to be held in Bangkok in September 2017, will attract 20,000 trade visitors and create business opportunities for all participants.

The event is considered as a bridge that will enhance economic, trade and investment relations between Viet Nam, Thailand and the ASEAN Economic Community.

More than 400 Thai and international agricultural companies are expected to take part in the trade show, which will be held at the Impact Exhibition Centre from September 8 to 10. It will have an indoor exhibition area of 13,500sqm and outdoor area of 10,000sqm, Tita Kanittanon, assistant marketing manager at Impact Exhibition Management Co. Ltd., one of the organisers, said.

SIMA will offer a comprehensive range of products and services, such as tractors, spare parts and accessories, embedded electronics, tilling, sowing, planting, harvesting and post-harvest equipment, equipment for tropical and special crops, handling, transportation, storage and breeding equipment, renewable energy, consultancy, management and software.

Kanittanon said the idea for SIMA came from an exhibition in France. It aims to connect businesses in the agricultural and food processing sectors in the ASEAN region. More than 20,000 professional trade visitors from agricultural cooperatives, machinery traders, marketing board, product distributors and supply shops are expected to visit across the three days, she added.

On the sidelines, there will be a conference on sustainable farming by the Agricultural and Food Marketing Association for Asia and the Pacific (AFMA) & Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.

The SIMA ASEAN Thailand 2016 opened on September 8 at the IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Centre and IMPACT Lakeside in Bangkok. On display was a comprehensive range of innovative agricultural technologies and equipment such as inputs, traction, soil working equipment, plant treatment, harvesting, irrigation, storage, breeding equipment and spare parts.

With a combined indoor and outdoor exhibition space of 21,500sqm and more than 300 global brands participating, visitors were able to experience all the latest products and innovations. It attracted more than 13,000 trade visitors from 40 countries, such as Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan and Viet Nam. Around 100 VIP buyers from 12 countries generated around 700 business meetings during the event.

The Vietnamese delegation of 22 business members of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Viet Nam and 15 other firms initiated effective trade exchanges at the exhibition this year. — VNS