INTERFOOD ASTANA 2024: AN IMPORTANT PLATFORM FOR THE PRESENTATION OF NEW FOOD INDUSTRY PRODUCTS, GLOBAL DIALOGUE AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
THE CENTER FOR CONCLUDING INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS WAS THE EXPO INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION CENTER IN THE CAPITAL OF KAZAKHSTAN, WHERE THE 24TH KAZAKHSTAN INTERNATIONAL FOOD INDUSTRY EXHIBITION - INTERFOOD ASTANA 2024 BEGAN ITS WORK. THE EXHIBITION IS REPRESENTED BY MANUFACTURERS FROM 27 EU MEMBER STATES AND MORE THAN 80 COMPANIES FROM 12 COUNTRIES: BELARUS, BULGARIA, HUNGARY, GERMANY, KAZAKHSTAN, CHINA, LITHUANIA, MOLDOVA, RUSSIA, SINGAPORE, TURKMENISTAN, CZECH REPUBLIC. AT THE STANDS, PARTICIPANTS WILL PRESENT A WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCTS FROM NEW PRODUCTS AND INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES TO EXOTIC TASTES AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS.
The main partner of this year’s event is the European Union, acting in the status of Honorary Region. A presentation pavilion of European goods from manufacturers from 27 EU member states was organized for exhibition visitors, and a European business delegation of 40 honored guests - entrepreneurs from the agri-food sector and representatives of EU industry associations prepared an extensive program of business meetings at the InterFood Astana exhibition.
The introductory tour of the exhibition was attended by honorary guests of the exhibition: Aidarbek Saparov, the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Janusz Wojciechowski, EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Boris Danilenko, the Director of the Iteca Exhibition Company, Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belgium, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, Sweden in Kazakhstan.
A number of bilateral business meetings were also held with the aim of establishing mutually beneficial cooperation and expanding trade relations between Kazakhstan and EU countries. The presentation pavilion of the European Union has become the central platform for demonstrating advanced technologies and products from European manufacturers.
A. Saparbayev, the Minister of Agriculture, noted in his welcoming speech: “The exhibition brings together food manufacturers, agricultural processing enterprises, and representatives of the packaging industry. The Interfood Astana platform has become a traditional place for meetings and negotiations. The visit of the EU delegation is a wonderful opportunity for Kazakhstani entrepreneurs to build cooperation with European partners. Kazakhstan and the European Union have strong partnerships, and we are constantly taking steps towards their further expansion and strengthening”.
In turn, Janusz Wojciechowski, EU Commissioner for Agriculture, also shared his impressions of participating in the exhibition: “I am very pleased to be here today, representing the European Union as an Honorary Region of the exhibition, promoting our EU products and sharing the core values that make them special: quality, safety, authenticity and sustainability. Our EU Pavilion welcomes you with over 250 food and drink products from across the European Union”.
InterFood Astana annually increases its area, reflecting international interest in the Kazakhstan market. This year, 15 manufacturers from Guizhou province (China) and the Hungarian Export Promotion Association - HEPA will make their debut at the exhibition. Manufacturers from Belarus and China presented unified national stands.
Traditionally, participants presented novelties of product portfolios at their stands; food additives and ingredients; alcoholic, non-alcoholic drinks, tea, coffee; equipment for the production of food products, drinks, packaging; packaging technologies, containers and packing; equipment for bakeries and much more.
The business program of the exhibition began its work with the Panel session: Export and import in the food industry market - cooperation of Kazakhstani companies with international markets. The speakers, in a dialogue format, discussed specific recommendations for the development of support programs for entrepreneurs taking into account current economic conditions, analyzed and discussed strategies for exporting Kazakhstani products and outlined prospects for expanding business in the food industry.
The main attention was attracted by the Plenary session: Cooperation between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the EU in the field of agriculture and the food industry with the participation of A. Saparov, the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and J. Wojciechowski, the EU Commissioner for Agriculture, where they discussed the prospects for international cooperation, the economic and environmental benefits of cooperation.
Tomorrow, May 30, Expert Talks will take place, where industry experts will speak on the topics: “Delicacies of franchising in the Kazakhstani market” and “AI in the agro-industrial complex: from analysis to action - new approaches to managing and selling products in the agriculture and food industry”. Also, the Retail Distributor Center - an exclusive platform for business negotiations between manufacturers and republican and regional retail chains and distributors will begin its work.
Another innovation this year was the launch of the ITECA.EVENTS mobile application, the main task of which is to create ideal business communications between visitors and participants with the ability to schedule meetings and collect leads. In short, ITECA.EVENTS is the entire exhibition in digital format on your personal device.
The organizer is Iteca Kazakhstan Exhibition Company and its international partner - ICA Events Group of Companies.
The exhibition will last two more days, we are waiting for food industry professionals to pre-register on the event website.
