This conference is one of many activities within the framework of the event series “Connecting the international supply chain of goods 2024” (Viet Nam International Sourcing 2024) organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in collaboration with the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City. from June 6 to 8, 2024 at Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC).
This symposium aims to provide updated information and in-depth comments on changes in needs, tastes, and consumption trends; development and transformation trends of agricultural and food products in some key export markets; as well as specific recommendations for Vietnamese export enterprises to participate more deeply in the global value chain, as well as better grasp and adapt to new standards on sustainable development. In addition, businesses participating in the Conference have the opportunity to meet, exchange and share with foreign importers and buyers to seek opportunities to cooperate and bring Vietnamese agricultural and food products to the market. Nam has deeper access to large-scale foreign distribution systems.
FTAs create competitive advantages for agriculture, forestry and fisheries
Speaking at the opening of the Workshop, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang said that although the world economy will have many difficulties and challenges in 2023, causing Vietnam’s total export turnover to grow negatively, however Export of products from Vietnam’s agricultural sector continues to recover and grow impressively, being a bright spot in export activities, positively contributing to the trade surplus. Agricultural, forestry and fishery export turnover reached over 53 billion USD, of which many agricultural products increased in both value and quantity such as rice, vegetables, coffee, and cashew nuts.
Entering 2024, the growth momentum is maintained stably: agricultural, forestry and fishery export turnover in the first 5 months of 2024 is estimated to reach 24.14 billion USD, an increase of 21% over the same period in 2023. Exports to other markets Main markets all have positive growth in turnover such as the United States (up 23.9%), China (up 8.6%), Japan (up 6.6%) and along with that the export value of all commodities Products in the agricultural industry also achieved positive growth compared to the same period last year such as: coffee reached 2.9 billion USD (up 44.1%), rice reached 2.65 billion USD (up 38.2%), vegetables fruit reached 2.59 billion (up 28.1%), shrimp reached 1.3 billion USD (up 7.5%)…
“With the advantages of geographical location, natural conditions, favorable soil and incentives from 16 bilateral and regional FTAs that have been signed and are being implemented with many partners around the world, especially CPTPP, EVFTA, in recent years, the export turnover of agricultural products and food has maintained a growth rate of over double digits. FTAs have created huge competitive advantages for strategic agricultural, forestry and fishery products and are strong thanks to their commitment to reduce tariffs, especially for processed products; At the same time, increase the attraction of high-quality foreign investment in the agricultural sector, deeply and sustainably participating in the global supply chain.”- Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang assessed.
In fact, accompanying the efforts of businesses, in recent years, the Government, the Prime Minister, and ministries and branches have approved and implemented many important and urgent policies and projects. to promote the production, processing, and export of Vietnam’s agricultural products. These projects have brought practical results, contributing to the development and diversification of export and import markets, ensuring long-term sustainable growth; Encourage Vietnamese enterprises to strongly participate in the global production, supply and distribution chain of goods, export directly to foreign distribution networks on the basis of promoting strengths and exploiting maximum advantages. competition of Vietnam’s export goods.
Sharing the same opinion, Mr. Le Thanh Hoa – Deputy Director of the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development – added more information: Vietnam has many advantages and potential to develop products. produce both agricultural, forestry and fishery products. The annual output of agricultural and food products not only meets domestic consumption needs but also serves the processing industry and exports to many countries around the world. If in 1990, Vietnam’s agricultural, forestry and fishery product exports were only about 20 million USD, now they have exceeded 53 billion USD/year.
Currently, Vietnam is the world’s number one supplier of cashew nuts and pepper; second largest in the world in coffee and third largest in rice. Vietnamese seafood also made great progress when surpassing the highest quality standards to participate in the supply chain in the US, EU, Japan, and Korea markets; develop many deeply processed products with high added value.
Strengthen trade promotion and negotiate to open markets for agricultural products
Although Vietnam’s agricultural sector has achieved many positive results, in reality, Vietnam still mainly exports raw goods with low processing content, accounting for about 70-80% of total export turnover. So the value and level of competition are not high; And this is clearly not a sustainable and effective direction. In addition, exported agricultural and food products still face many difficulties and challenges from increasingly high quality standards or origin requirements of import markets; Protectionism tends to increase in many markets; or the trend of sustainable development, reducing carbon emissions and protecting the environment in Vietnam’s key export markets will require businesses to quickly adapt and comply.
Therefore, according to Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang, Vietnam needs to continue implementing current policies that are supporting the agricultural sector to move from raw exports to increasing the rate of refined exports, creating conditions for businesses to apply. science and technology in agriculture, attracting investment to develop the food processing industry. From there, it contributes to improving the quality and diversification of products, diversifying the industry and shifting from developing the agricultural supply chain to developing the industry value chain, keeping pace with the consumption trends of the global market. bridge.
In particular, in the coming time, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will strengthen coordination in promoting trade and negotiating market opening for Vietnamese agricultural products.
As one of Vietnam’s important agricultural, forestry and fishery export markets, Mr. Tran Ngoc Quan, Vietnam Trade Counselor in Belgium and the EU, said that each year the EU imports more than 160 billion USD of agricultural products. But agricultural products from Vietnam only account for about 4% of that number. This shows that the room to increase market share for Vietnamese agricultural products here is huge. However, the EU is a market that requires high quality, food safety and hygiene, residue control and regular updates of import regulations.
“To promote the export of agricultural products and food to the EU, Vietnamese businesses must regularly update market information, increasing the ability to meet sustainable production – transportation – consumption targets. Product quality management does not only lie in the production stage but is also a matter of raw materials, transportation, preservation… Therefore, to avoid quality risks and ensure traceability, businesses Vietnamese businesses must build a linked and tightly controlled supply chain.”Mr. Tran Ngoc Quan recommended.
At the event, the Vietnam Trade Office in Belgium and the EU announced a database of EU agricultural, food and beverage importers. The data is divided into 27 information fields, corresponding to the 27 EU member countries. Each data file has from 12 to 15 industries including: tea-coffee, dairy products, frozen, seafood, meat, noodles, vegetables, beverages, cereals, sugar-honey, spices , organic foods, frozen processed foods, sports nutrition. Depending on the number of importers involved, each industry has approximately 100 indigenous enterprises. Total database of about 10,000 reputable import businesses in the fields of agricultural products, food and beverages.
Also at the conference were many experienced experts and speakers with high expertise and diverse perspectives from the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development – Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Asian Chamber of Commerce. – The United States, Vietnamese Trade Counselors, representatives of a number of large foreign distribution corporations such as Central Retail, Lulu, consulting companies, and a number of businesses in the agricultural and food industry participated. attend the Conference.
Thereby, experts, speakers, and businesses shared multi-dimensional perspectives, covering outstanding areas from needs, tastes, opportunities to standards, regulations, and challenges in different markets. market, issues of special concern to businesses when participating in international supply chains.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade
