Europe's largest international food exhibition can be a real breakout point for exportable Hungarian food producers that have offered an international showcase for five days until 19 October.
The Hungarian Food Business Program was presented by thirty-two Hungarian food manufacturing companies at the joint stand organized by the Agricultural Marketing Centre (AMC) at SIAL Paris.
SIAL Paris is one of the world's largest and most prestigious international food exhibitions, held every two years, exclusively for professionals, for more than 50 years. This year more than 7,200 exhibitors presented their products on a 2.6M square foot area in 21 specialized sectors. 85% of exhibitors were foreign having arrived from 119 countries around the world, similar to the last event four years ago. During SIAL, 250 conferences and other professional programs were held, with a special focus on innovation, which is currently driving development of the entire food industry.
The exhibition played an important role in foreign trade relations as SIAL is primarily about access to the world’s export market.
At the opening of the Hungarian stand, Dr. Beáta Felkai, Deputy State Secretary for Food Chain Supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture, emphasized that
"we know that Hungarian food industry players are innovative, which we would also like others to know, and this is why SIAL is important for us, because it promotes and supports the food industry segment in entering the international market."
Péter Ondré, Managing Director of AMC, pointed out how their experience shows that the exhibition to be an excellent opportunity to cultivate existing business relations, as well as how it is a great opportunity for new exporters to introduce themselves and establish contacts. In addition, it is also important for companies to continue to build on the opportunities they have gained.
"The agricultural sector is at a historic moment, with HUF 4265 billion (US$ 10.3bn) of funding coming into the sector in the next period. And for the Hungarian food industry, exports could be the real breakthrough point, for which the SIAL Paris participation is a real springboard. To find the place of Hungarian products in the world, the Agrarian Marketing Centre does not only organize and run the Hungarian community stands at the most important food exhibitions, including SIAL Paris, but also supports them with training, targeted events and the Hungarian Food Business Programme."
Most of the exhibitors have highlighted the high level of professionalism of the event, where they could meet their existing business partners and introduce themselves to new, serious visitors. They found that since the last event four years ago, the food industry has undergone a significant transformation, with traditional products being replaced by new ones and a growing demand for sustainable and healthy products. It is important for them to have a long-term strategy, to find partners that are suitable for their current plant size and capacity, but also to build long-term relationships with future importers as they plan their development.
The Hungarian Food Business Program (HFBP), launched by AMC in 2021 to promote the export activities of Hungarian food companies and their entry into foreign markets, was open to visitors at a separate stand at SIAL Paris until 19 October. The flagship of the HFBP is the Hungarian Food Business Catalogue, a real-time software, which buyers and distributors interested in Hungarian products can register for at the exhibition with the help of AMC colleagues. The platform is already available to nearly 150 Hungarian food producers with around 1,700 products and currently almost 150 buyers. The unique feature of the system is that foreign importers can not only find out about Hungarian products for free of charge export, but can also contact Hungarian producers directly for further information and engagement.
Source: amc.hu