China to kick off annual agricultural trade fair in Sept.

China will hold an annual trade fair for agricultural product processing industries from Sept. 6-8 in Zhumadian City, Henan Province in central China, organizers announced on Friday.

Co-sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and the Henan Provincial Government and held since 1998, the event is the country's only national trade fair in the agri-product processing sector.

The upcoming fair is expected to attract participants from nearly 5,000 enterprises. Participants from 21 countries and overseas regions including the United States, France and Argentina will also attend the fair, according to officials at a press conference.

The 2014 trade fair will feature agricultural product exhibitions and trade, negotiations, project launches and agricultural tourism.

MOA Chief Economist Yang Shaopin told the press conference that the event is intended to serve as a platform for economic cooperation between China's different regions and aid the country's efforts to upgrade its agricultural product processing sector.

Henan, a leading Chinese province for grain, livestock and poultry output, is also home to a number of major brands in the sector and remains the country's biggest producer of instant noodles and quick-frozen food.