Passion fruit is processed for export at a factory in the Central Highland province of Dak Nong. (Photo: VNA)Vu AnhSon, a Vietnamese Trade Counselor in France, told vnbusiness thathe failed to find any Vietnamese-branded cashew products in supermarketchains and hypermarkets in France, even though Vietnam's cashew nowaccounts for 50 percent of the French market.
Thisunsatisfactory performance is attributable to the limited competitive capabilitiesof domestic enterprises and their focus on exporting or wholesalingagricultural and food products instead of developing brands toincrease the added value of their food products.
Accordingto Son, increasing the added value of agricultural andfood items will help strengthen the competitiveness ofVietnamese firms striving to export. They should also pay attentionto current food consumption trends in imported markets, Sonsuggested.
Despitegood agricultural and food products the firms can offer forexport, they still have insufficient research and understandingabout approaching export markets and current food consumption trendsin large markets such as Asia and Europe, Son added.
Forexample, currently, European customers have a great demand fornutritious and healthy snacks with a stable and sustainable supply. Thatwill open up opportunities for Vietnamese companies if they can graspthis consumption trend and then diversify their products to meet thatdemand, Son said.
Inaddition, improving product quality remains a must, experts said.
NguyenTruong Thinh from Luong Quoi Coconut Co in Ben Tre province agreed.He said product quality is among the top concerns of internationalcustomers.
Asconsumer demand increases, they require the higher quality of products. Thus, local firms, especially those in theagricultural and food processing sectors, need to apply advancedtechnologies in their production to ensure the best quality oftheir products to meet the needs of international customers, he told vnbusiness.
Duringthe first five months of 2022, the country's export value of main agriculturalproducts surpassed 9.4 billion USD, up 10.4 percent, accordingto the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
Among productsand product groups posting a turnover of over $1 billion were coffee, rice,cashew nuts, fruits and vegetables.
MARDsaid that it has stepped up bilateral and multilateral cooperation activities.Its units have focused on negotiating and promoting the export of passion fruitand grapefruit to Australia; rambutan, star apple, custard apple, cassavaslices, sugar and milk to Thailand; lemon and grapefruit to New Zealand, andbird's nest, feather products and fish meal to China.
Ministerof Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said that hisministry would review and adjust policies to encourage and supportbusinesses to invest in agriculture and develop products in accordancewith international standards and practices to serve the export ofagricultural products better.
Hoanstressed the need to strictly comply with regulations related to labelling,traceability, geographical indications, quarantine, packaging, quality andtypes of agricultural products, and business codes.
Theministry will maintain negotiations to remove barriers and increase the exportof additional agricultural products to major and potential markets, such asdurian, birds' nest, passion fruit, avocado, grapefruit and coconut to China;longan, grapefruit, and passion fruit to Japan; and shrimp, grapefruit, litchi,rambutan, processed poultry and cattle meat to the Republic of Korea.
Itis important to invest more in improving the processing and preservation toincrease the added value of products.
Theministry will maintain effective implementation of free trade agreementssigned with other countries and regions over the world, as well as thecoordinate with Vietnamese embassies and trade and agriculture offices tocollect and provide information about foreign markets and tastes for localbusinesses, and help them boost trade promotion, Hoan said./.
VNA
