Profoods/Propack 2011 to be mega on its 10th anniversary

THE Food Processing, Packaging and Agribusiness fraternities will once again combine on the  26th, 27th and 28th of August 2011 to showcase Sri Lanka’s complete food supply chain in this much awaited 10th Anniversary show.

From left: Aasim Mukthar, General Manager – Exhibition, Lanka Exhibition & Conference Services (Pvt) Ltd.; Dhammika Gunasekara, Chairman, Profoods/Propack 2011 Organising Committee; Rohantha  Athukorala, Head of National Portfolio Department Sri Lanka and Maldives; Rohantha De Fonseka, President, Sri Lanka Food Processors Association (SLFPA); Asitha  Senevirathne, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Mario De Alwis, Chairman, PFDI/Past President NAC & SLFPA; Mervin  Gonawela, Secretary, SLFPA; and R. Nanayakkara, Secretary, National Agri Business Council – Pic by Upul Abayasekara

Cultivating from the past 9 successful exhibitions, this year’s show will create opportunities for individuals and companies to introduce new products, technology and services. The show is a public private partnership, with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Ministry of Agriculture Development supporting the event for the tenth year in succession.

Profoods / Propack 2011 is all about getting Sri Lanka focused at this important task at hand. The 10th anniversary exhibition will have over 200 stalls covering the totality of the food supply chain, giving opportunities for investors, traders and consumers to see firsthand, the availability and opportunities in this industry. The event will showcase the latest products in the local processed food industry, sampling of consumer favorites, innovations and technology development in Packaging, newest agricultural machinery & services, processed food hygiene education and many more. The concurrent events such as the food awards of excellence and the cleaner diner programme will benchmark best practices and reward performance within the industry.

This exhibition has been designed in such a manner that the general public, who are the end consumers, derive substantial knowledge and information about new products and advanced food technologies. This is evidenced by the growing number of visitors to the exhibition every year, making it one of the most popular exhibitions to be visited. Northern and Eastern provinces which were virtually alienated from the rest of the country during the last two or three decades, are expected to join the main stream of the country’s agricultural, industrial and economic development. It is a well known fact that the North and the East possess an unmatchable capacity for production, especially in the agricultural sector, and the organizers will be mapping out their strategies, taking into account the positive changes that are expected to take place when the exhibition is due to be held. One important aspect of our plans is to transfer the advanced technologies to the newly developing areas.

This event, growing year by year, helps all stakeholders of the processed food, packaging & agriculture industry to exchange their technical knowhow, and enrich business relationships.

This is an event that undoubtedly stimulates country’s economic growth where by this event will provide the platform to harness the investment benefits declared at the recent government budget for developing the SME sector in Sri Lanka and also this event will stimulate the food industries related market forces to reach the ambitious country strategic economic growth plans identify to be achieved in next five to ten years under the banner of moving Sri Lanka to be the wonder in Asia. A noteworthy feature of this whole process is the high level of benefits that are passed down to the farmers, who are the indispensable and also most deserving segment of the processed food chain.

Profoods / Propack 2011 will also showcase many overseas companies participating, especially from the SAARC region. An area has been allocated for international pavilions that have seen the tremendous growth of this event and the popularity it has among all consumers and stakeholders in the industry.

A significant outcome from the past few events was the small and medium scale industry pavilion organized for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. This pavilion was a huge success among all visitors and assisted all small and medium scale enterprises to showcase their latest products and services. In order to crown the 10th anniversary the organizers plan to increase the number of stalls allocated for these companies thereby encouraging more participation from the rural areas while opening the doors of opportunity to entrepreneurs from North and East of the country. This would give all SME companies the greatest opportunity to introduce their products and services to this ever growing market.



At Pro foods/Pro pack you will witness over 200 exhibiting companies from 20 countries, showing more than 1000 new products & services to be displayed. The cooking studio will add colour to the event where by the housewife’s will have the opportunity to mingle and share the experience and skills of renowned Chefs who would showcase their culinary talent.   

The event is a platform to discover and learn about the latest innovations in Food Processing Engineering & Packaging services, it will also be an opportunity to meet supermarket buyers, importers and distributors on one platform to establish business contacts and generate genuine sales leads. In 2010 many companies launched new products and services by demonstrating their products to stay ahead of the competition.