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| Exports of agricultural, aquatic and processed food products still face many difficulties and challenges from both subjective and objective causes. (Source: Tien Phong Newspaper) |
The workshop is one of many activities in framework of the 2023 International Goods Supply Connection Event Series (Vietnam Sourcing 2023) organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in coordination with the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City from September 13 to 15, 2023 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center SECC.
The purpose of the Workshop is to provide updated information on demand, tastes, consumption trends; regulations and policies on agricultural product imports in some key markets, risks and challenges in agricultural and aquatic product trade; and create opportunities for exporting enterprises and foreign buyers to meet and seek cooperation opportunities to bring Vietnamese agricultural products into large-scale foreign distribution systems.
Vietnam's agricultural and food export turnover in recent years has recorded positive growth figures, contributing significantly to the total export value of Vietnam's goods; contributing significantly to promoting the development of agricultural commodities, thereby improving people's income and life. Vietnam has become an important supplier of many agricultural export products in the world and increasingly asserting its solid position in the international market.
However, the export of agricultural, aquatic and processed food products still faces many difficulties and challenges from both subjective and objective causes. Identifying risks and challenges to have effective and timely solutions, thereby maintaining stable export growth and seeking opportunities to penetrate large distribution systems is the message of the Workshop.
The Organizing Committee invited many experts and speakers with extensive experience and expertise in many fields to attend the Workshop. With the practicality and relevance of the topics presented, the Workshop attracted about 200 businesses to participate.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the workshop, Ms. Nguyen Thao Hien - Deputy Director of the European - American Market Department said that with the advantages of geographical location, natural conditions, favorable soil conditions and incentives from 15 bilateral and regional Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) being implemented with many partners around the world, especially the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), continuously in recent years, the export turnover of agricultural, aquatic and food products has maintained a double-digit growth rate and reached 53.2 billion USD in 2022, an increase of approximately 10% compared to 2021. In particular, there are many groups of goods with a turnover of over 2 billion USD such as wood, aquatic products, coffee, rubber, rice, vegetables, and cashews.
According to Ms. Hien, in 2023, despite many market difficulties, especially high inflation in all key export markets, the export turnover of Vietnamese agricultural, forestry and fishery products is forecast to still exceed 50 billion USD, making a huge contribution to Vietnam's total export turnover.
Regarding the market, citing data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ms. Hien said that Vietnam's three largest markets are currently China at 21%, the US at about 20% and Japan at about 7%. These are markets with high incomes and the value of Vietnam's agricultural products is also good.
However, along with the encouraging results, Vietnamese agricultural products also have to face challenges such as food safety issues. In addition, consumer demand and current world trends are changing very clearly. All products originating from nature, regulations and standards on sustainable development and environmental protection have become inevitable trends of major export markets today.
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| Ms. Nguyen Thao Hien - Deputy Director of the European - American Market Department informed that the export turnover of Vietnam's agricultural, forestry and fishery products is forecast to still exceed 50 billion USD, contributing greatly to Vietnam's total export turnover. (Source: Business Forum) |
“To adapt to these conditions, we need to change our production process, change our approach to the market, and continue to develop and maintain the advantages of our unique products that not every country has,” Ms. Hien shared.
Introducing the e-commerce platform for Vietnamese fruit and spice products exported to Europe, Ms. Hoang Le Trang, Coordinator of the Project to Enhance Export Capacity for Small and Medium Enterprises (SFV Export), said that the SFV - Export Project funded by the EU, is being implemented by VCCI in coordination with Oxfam in Vietnam in 2022-2023.
According to Ms. Trang, SFV Export is a place where Vietnamese businesses can easily connect with buyers in the European region. In addition, SFV Export also supports businesses in accessing high-value export markets. SFV Export is also a separate platform that helps buyers easily find partners to produce Vietnamese agricultural and food products.
The Knowledge Portal Information page includes courses on food safety standards, social responsibility, and export marketing. Along with that are EVFTA guidelines, trademark registration instructions, and geographical indications. Meanwhile, the Virtual Fair page will have hundreds of booths introducing Vietnam's unique agricultural products.
“With such a neat structure, we hope that SFV Export will join hands with the efforts of relevant agencies of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and international organizations to connect and bring Vietnamese agricultural products deeper into the international supply chain,” said Ms. Trang.
From a business perspective, Mr. Nguyen Duy Thuan - General Director of Loc Troi Group said that the first thing to do when growing rice is to ensure sustainable development. Accordingly, Loc Troi has set out 3 criteria for green and sustainable development.
First , in terms of socio-economics, ensuring people have sustainable income; Second , protecting the environment; and Third , ensuring farmers' health, as well as protecting land and water resources.
According to Mr. Thuan, among the three criteria above, farmers' health is one of the most worrying issues, due to the impact of chemicals, water resources are also affected by chemicals and fertilizers. Therefore, this is a very important factor that needs to be noted in rice production, especially large-scale production.
“Vietnam supplies about 6 million tons of rice to the world every year, and about 8 million tons in 2023 alone. This amount of rice is equivalent to the consumption of about 60 million people in the world who are using Vietnamese rice. Currently, Vietnam is planning to supply 10 million tons of rice per year and ensure the amount of rice for 100 million people in the world to use,” Mr. Thuan informed.
Mr. Thuan also said that bringing Vietnamese rice to be consumed in large supermarkets in the international market has always been Loc Troi's goal. To do this, Loc Troi will go step by step. First, it must organize production in accordance with the requirements of the international market, by accepting the requirements of farmers and organizing production on a large scale.
“However, Loc Troi is currently facing some difficulties in production. To produce on a large scale, it is necessary to have large fields and large capital to invest in farmers, as well as support farmers in systematic production. Besides, there is the consumption stage. Markets such as Europe and the US have long transportation times, large orders and long payment times,” Mr. Thuan added.
Throughout the workshop, experts and speakers from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; the project on enhancing export capacity for small and medium enterprises in the Vietnamese spice and vegetable industry; the Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry; the Vietnam Trade Office; the Bank for Foreign Trade; foreign importers and distributors shared many useful experiences related to all processes of exporting agricultural products: from managing and ensuring input materials; the trend of green, circular agricultural production to meet new consumer needs; updating regulations and technical standards of some markets; optimizing logistics activities; developing exports through e-commerce platforms; to solutions to limit risks when paying...
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