Industry events
VIETSTOCK 2018:
V
A thriving livestock and aquaculture platform
by Peter Parker, General Manager, Milling & Grain
ietnam’s premiere international feed, livestock, aquaculture and meat industry show, the Vietstock 2018 Expo and Forum took place October 17-19, 2018 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. The theme was ‘enhancing processing capability in livestock and aquaculture production and connecting to potential markets’. Vietfeed, Vietmeat, and the Aquaculture Vietnam Conference 2018 are all co-located events. Vietstock is hosted by the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and organised by UBM Asia. The three-day event brought together members of the livestock and feed industry from all over Vietnam to connect with potential associates from the domestic and international industries. This, the ninth edition of the show, saw a 54 percent increase in international visitors, with participants being made up from 46 countries. The opening ceremony was witnessed by a number of distinguished guests, including Mr Tran Thanh Nam, Mr Nguyen Xuan Duong, Director General of the Livestock Production Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Mr Jime Essink, CEO of UBM Asia, and Mr M Gandhi, Group Managing Director and Senior Vice President of UBM Asia. Vietnamese dancers excited the crowd with a performance which is said to have reflected the soul of Vietnam. Mr Gandhi said, “The US Department of Agriculture now estimates that commercial animal and aquafeed will reach 21.9 million tonnes in 2018, a 6.7 year-on-year growth, making Vietnam the biggest feed producer in ASEAN. “Vietstock 2018 is the ideal opportunity to see these latest products and technologies, but it is so much more than just a three-day show. It has developed a well-earned reputation not 106 | December 2018 - Milling and Grain