September is confectionery month in China. From 3rd to 5th September, three Fairs take place simultaneously in Shanghai: International Sweet & SnackTec China, Sweet China and World of Food China.
Four hundred and Fifty suppliers will be showing off their products and services over a 20,000 square meter exhibition space. The last such event in 2007 attracted 8,143 trade visitors from 69 countries. It featured 41 exhibiting companies from 9 countries.
The concept of holding events in parallel is based on the successful model of the ISM and ProSweets in Cologne.
German Sweets, VBZ(netherlands)OSEC(Switzerland)and the Japan Confectionery Association will make presentations at the Fair. Also participating are South Korea and the Malaysian Cocoa Board.
Very valuable synergy effects are beginning to rise from this parallel scheduling. The Fair also serves to draw attention of China manufacturers and Internationals based in China and Chinese exports initiatives the hinterland significance of South East Asia as the nearest and possibly the best supplier of raw and finished products and ingredients. Chinese importers can take advantage of free trade agreements between China and ASEAN.
With China's Chocolate confectionery market projected to climb 50% to $1.23billion by 2012, the demand for offshore ingredients and even consumer finished products is going to be significant.
Sales of these products are particularly high between November and Chinese New Year. Nearly 40 percent of total confectionery sales are for occasion gifts such as Christmas, Weddings, birthdays, Chinese New Year and of course Valentine's Day.
According to the Global Agriculture Information Network and USDA reports, the biggest markets are for speciality products with focus on Speciality Confectionery and Functional Confectionery. This is more evident along China's East coast.
The reports notes that demand for Functional Confectionery is due to the rise of diabetics- the unfortunate consequence to high income life style diets.
Vitamins, nuts, herbal ingredients are in demand. The Chinese consumer favours less sweet and less milky confectionery. Small elegant packaging is preferred with one or two pieces of candy or chocolates.This will allow weight conscious women women to restrict themselves. It is also preferred by parents who are conscious about their children's calorie intake.
US products are not popular due to their shorter shelf life and high sugar content.
We know that Indonesia has the resources both in processed ingredients and finished goods to meet China big appetite in all categories of chocolate confectionery needs.In recent months there have been encouraging announcements of more processing plants and even plantations to be set up to meet future requirements. While existing processors aim to increase output. We will have approximately a harvest of 790,000 tonnes to process this year.
China's appetite will set in motion tremendous surge in research and development of tastes, flavours, textures, recipes, nutrition and energy needs.This will require manufacturers here in Indonesia to look towards the development of more sophistication, combining science, technology and enterprise.
Indonesia is the fourth largest coffee producer with an expected output of some 687,450tonnes in 2008. Hopefully we will play a part in the Fairs'Coffee and Tea Zone.Not forgetting that these products are natural allies to cocoa.
But this is outside the scope of this Blog for the time being.
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