The executive director of PortugalFoods described as “very interesting” the cooperation agreement signed during the 2nd China-Portuguese Speaking Countries Economic and Trade Exhibition (C-PLPEX) in Macau.
“Our goal is to start working in the establishment of — I won’t say a store — but a strong Portuguese presence on this platform,” explained Deolinda Silva.
“It’s not easy, but they are ready to help us, and we are increasingly gaining more knowledge about the challenge ahead,” admitted the director.
The cooperation starts today with a presentation of products from PortugalFoods’ member companies to Chinese businesses “from various categories,” revealed Silva.
The association brought products from 12 companies to C-PLPEX, but has more than 200 members among companies, entities from the scientific system, the agri-food chain, and other related activities.
The presentation is part of a strategy by Tmall to promote Portuguese agri-food products “in an aggregated manner, to gain some scale,” explained Silva.
“The work needed with these Chinese partners is enormous because there is practically no presence of Portuguese products,” lamented Silva.
The first contact with Tmall occurred during the 2024 edition of the FHC Shanghai Global Food Trade Show, a food fair in Shanghai, China’s financial capital.
PortugalFoods will participate in this fair again from November 12 to 14 to “better understand the potential for creating partnerships” and finding future buyers, the executive director noted.
China “is a market with enormous potential that should be worked on gradually and by regions,” Silva stated, highlighting southern China as a priority.
According to figures provided by PortugalFoods, Portuguese agri-food exports reached 10 billion euros in 2024, an increase of 8.5% compared to the previous year.
The figures for 2025 are not yet finalized, but the association anticipates growth, though more modest than was seen last year.
