The challenge for spice and vegetable businesses when they want to export to the EU can include strict technical standards on food safety and traceability.
The Vietnam Confederation of Trade and Industry (VCCI) and Oxfam in Vietnam jointly organized the kick-off workshop of the project “Strengthening export capacity for small and medium-sized enterprises in the spice and vegetable industry. Vietnam” (referred to as SFV-Export).
The Free Trade Agreement between Vietnam and the EU (EVFTA) has expanded export opportunities for Vietnamese agricultural products when import taxes are abolished for most items, creating a superior advantage in selling prices. The total export value of agricultural products in 2020 is 855 million Eur, an increase of 8% compared to 2019. Although the export opportunity to the EU market is very large, the spice and vegetable industry in Vietnam currently accounts for less than 1% of the total. value of EU imports of these products.
According to experts, the challenge for spice and vegetable businesses when they want to export to the EU can include strict technical standards on food safety and traceability; lack of information on market needs, tastes and EU customer access channels.
Many businesses worry about the strict technical standards of food safety.
Besides, the brand recognition of spices and vegetables in Vietnam in the EU market is not competitive enough. The capacity and voice of the industry is not strong.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, General Secretary of VCCI, Head of the Vietnam Domestic Advisory Group (DAG) in the EVFTA Agreement emphasized that the fruit, vegetable and spice industry in the top of the industry enjoys tariff incentives from the EVFTA Agreement when export to the EU.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, Secretary General of VCCI, Head of the Domestic Advisory Group (DAG) of Vietnam in the EVFTA Agreement.
In addition to meeting the technical requirements related to food safety, the fruit and vegetable industry needs to pay attention to improving sustainable practices to ensure compliance with regulations and recommendations on Trade and Development. sustainable development of the Agreement if you want to export to the EU and benefit from the EVFTA.
Lan Anh also said that it is necessary to pay attention to the contents of the environment and people to ensure sustainable development. “This is the content when we work with businesses that have approached and familiarized themselves through many awareness-raising training programs, but in the field of agriculture where the target audience is farmers, it is very new. How can we produce more civilized agriculture,” noted VCCI Secretary General.
Many businesses said that vegetables and spices are difficult to determine the code of the growing area.
Meanwhile, many businesses said that it is difficult for spices to determine the growing area code. “Because this is a crop that is heavily influenced by the weather, it is difficult for businesses to have a stable growing area but must collect from many areas. Therefore, the EU market’s requirement to determine the planting area code makes it difficult for businesses,” a business shared.
According to Ms. Hoang Thi Lien, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Pepper Association, we are having a hard time meeting the standard requirements of the EU market.
Ms. Hoang Thi Lien, President of Vietnam Pepper Association.
“In which, the indicators of pesticide residues in food and fertilizers in products are the most difficult factors for the export of products. With any set of criteria, the exporter must also meet, however, when our business exports, tests have up to 800 substances in these criteria. In which, there are some substances that are repeated in Vietnamese agricultural product samples when they are measured and tested. But the EU side requires the index index at only 0.01 or even 0. Therefore, the requirement is to change right from the farming process of farmers, so that businesses can consume products to help them. you can,” emphasized the President of the Vietnam Pepper Association.
In addition, many businesses are also worried about the animal and plant quarantine (SPS) measures of the EVFTA Agreement as well as the strict standards on food safety (IFS, BRC), and sustainable practices (PGS). , FAIRTRADE), other technical practices as required by EU (pesticide residues, marketing standards..).
Mr. Le Thanh Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Processing and Market Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Understanding this concern of businesses, Mr. Le Thanh Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Processing and Market Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that businesses are worried about standards. But we have had many years of commenting on the levels of residues and indicators of pesticide residues. The EU develops new regulations that are very transparent within and outside the bloc to meet their standards. Many countries such as the US, EU, and South Korea also allow risk assessment of these residue regulations.
“However, it must be recognized that businesses themselves must also actively raise awareness about food safety. We are confusing quality issues with safety issues,” Mr. Hoa emphasized.
According to Business Forum Magazine
