BSS)- The 2026 Mekong-Lancang Fruit, Coffee, Flower and Beer Carnival began today at the Hello World Living Mall in Kunming, capital of China’s Yunnan Province, with Chinese visitors and traders showing keen interest in Bangladeshi agricultural products and fruits.

Organised by the Department of Commerce of Yunnan Province, the international festival features 94 stalls showcasing fruits and agricultural products from countries in the Mekong-Lancang region, said a press release here.

China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos, Bangladesh and Thailand are participating in the festival, displaying and selling a wide range of fruits, agricultural produce and food products from their respective countries.

The Bangladeshi stall attracted considerable attention from local visitors and businesspeople from the very beginning of the festival, providing an opportunity to showcase the country’s diverse agricultural products and explore new commercial links with the Chinese market.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Consul General of Bangladesh in Kunming Shahnaz Ranu said agricultural trade and economic cooperation between Bangladesh and China reached a new level.

She said cooperation between the two countries is playing an important role in expanding agricultural exports, investment and bilateral trade.

Referring to developments since last year’s fruit festival, she said cooperation between Bangladesh and Yunnan had further strengthened under the “Three Frees and Three Facilitation” policy, creating new opportunities for Bangladeshi businesses to enter the Chinese market.

Shahnaz Ranu said the signing of a phytosanitary protocol during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to China for exporting Bangladesh’s national fruit jackfruit to the Chinese market was an important development.

“Bangladeshi mangoes have already entered the Chinese market, while there is also potential for exporting guava and other tropical fruits in the future,” she said.

She described Yunnan as an important market in China for Bangladesh’s fresh agricultural products and expressed hope that greater mutual cooperation would further expand agricultural trade between the two countries.

The opening ceremony was held under the slogan “Share the Big Market, Export to China” and was attended by representatives and diplomats from Mekong-Lancang countries as well as officials from the agriculture and commerce sectors.

Deputy Director of the Lancang-Mekong Sub-regional Economic and Trade Development Centre Liu Zhi, Cambodian Consul General in Kunming Heng Pisal, Thai Commercial Representative Chanwit Ruangchaithawesuk, Vietnamese Consul General Nghiem Viet Chung and Chief Agronomist of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Ke Bin also spoke on the occasion.

The organisers expect the festival will contribute to expanding markets for agricultural products of participating countries, strengthening trade relations and creating new opportunities for agriculture-based cooperation.

The festival will continue until August 23, offering visitors opportunities to see and purchase fruits, agricultural products, coffee, flowers and other products from participating countries.