The third day of the 19th Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (MIF) on Saturday (25 October) continued the event's tradition of themed pavilions, displaying the best that local, regional and international firms have to offer.
Among the themed areas this year are the Pavilion for Food Products from Portuguese-Speaking Countries, the Peru Pavilion, the Indonesia Pavilion and a Floral Carnival Zone.Exhibitors praised this edition of MIF for helping them make new contacts and helping them to achieve their business goals. Pavilion for Food Products from Portuguese-Speaking Countries
The pavilion – a new feature for 2014 – assists in many of the public policy aims of Macao, Mainland China and their trade partners. They include the goal of promoting business cooperation and a services platform between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries. The pavilion is also in line with the Macao SAR Government's policy of setting up what is known as the "Three Centres" for commercial and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries – a commercial and trade service centre for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries; a food product distribution centre for Portuguese-Speaking Countries ; and a centre for conventions and exhibitions for economic and trade cooperation between China and Portuguese-Speaking Countries .
MIF has also set up what is known as the Portuguese-speaking Countries Enterprises Exhibition Zone. In addition, a Portuguese-Speaking Countries Food and Beverages Networking Meeting was held on Saturday. Exhibitors from Portuguese-Speaking Countries were invited to showcase wine, olive oil, biscuits and cakes, jam, rice, smoked sausages and dried fruits, among other speciality food products.
Those taking part included a traditional, third generation, family farming business from Brazil, which exhibited organic wine and fruit juice. The business not only owns the farm, but also ensures that family members are personally responsible for all cultivation, production and packaging, so that the quality of the products is ensured. The producer expected MIF as a platform to access to the Mainland China market. This company had already had meetings with many enterprises from the Mainland during MIF. Peru and Indonesia present pavilions
This year's edition of MIF attracted participating enterprises from over 50 countries and regions. They included, for the first time, entities from Peru and Indonesia. The Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR, Chalief Akbar, noted that his nation had previously participated in MIF as a part of the pavilion for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) but this year, for the first time, it had its own.
Mr Akbar praised MIF as Macao's best-organised trade fair, pointing out it offered a variety of business matching, seminars and other activities, to provide enterprises with an economic and exchange platform. Indonesia's reason for having a pavilion this time is further to promote Indonesia's tourism industry as well as a investment promotion for infrastructure projects. During the first three days of MIF, Indonesian exhibitors have succeeded in establishing a series of business contacts.
The representative of Peru's Pavilion hopes to promote the country and its unique products to Macao and overseas buyers. One of Peru's most characteristic products is the alpaca, an animal which can not only be seen in all of Peru's tourism spots but also whose fur is used as raw material to manufacture coats, scarves and carpets, among other textiles. Also of note are quinoa and maca, plants widely grown in Peru and used as ingredients for health foodstuffs. Floral Carnival Zone brings colour to MIF
MIF's Floral Carnival Zone showcases the flower industry's most fascinating side, enabling professionals, on the one hand, to understand the development of this industry while, on the other hand, offering local customers and merchants more choices and encouraging business cooperation. Some MIF participants were surprised to find this floral carnival, but said it added diversity and colour to the fair.
Additionally, a Traditional Chinese Medicine Exhibition Zone was also set up this year. The Director of the Exchange Division of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine Exchange Center for Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, Liao Ning, said that, through MIF's international trade platform, it is possible to promote the Traditional Chinese Medicine industry on a global level as well as introduce the latest developments. He anticipated to return to next year's MIF and bring more information on Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The Cultural and Creative Industries Exhibition Zone was once more a feature of the fair, encompassing cultural and creative enterprises from Macao, Mainland China, Europe, America and Southeast Asia.
