The Chien Thang Garment Joint Stock Company produces cloth face masks (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The garment industry was suffering an unprecedented crisisdue to COVID-19, but the pandemic also brought significant opportunities for Vietnamto become the world’s face mask factory.
Manygarment producers hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic recently invested inproducing face masks as a solution to cope with the difficult time and take theopportunities arising from the supply shortage.
Somereceived export orders worth millions of dollars, a positive sign for thegarment industry which was under huge pressure from the pandemic.
Recently,Garment 10 Corporation Joint Stock Company said that it received an exportorder for 400 million medical face masks worth 52 million USD, together withorders for 20 million cloth masks from a US partner and two million cloth masksand six million medical face masks from a German partner.
TNGInvestment and Trading Joint Stock Company also shipped millions ofanti-bacterial cloth masks to the European Union during the past month. TNG wasalso investing in producing medical face masks which was expected to startproduction from May.
Anti-bacterialcloth masks helped TNG’s sales in the domestic market in the first quarter ofthis year increase by 10 percent against the same period last year.
TNG’sdirector Nguyen Van Thoi said that there were large opportunities to exportface marks.
Accordingto the Ministry of Industry and Trade, 50 domestic producers which reported tothe ministry alone had a total production capacity of eight million face masksper day.
Besides,some companies, such as Nam Dinh Silk Textile Joint Stock Company, were nowcapable of producing anti-bacterial cloth.
Theministry said that Vietnam’s face mask production capacity could be increasedmuch further.
TranThanh Hai, Deputy Director of the ministry’s Import-Export Department, in an interviewwith Vietnam News Agency said that Vietnam was capable of becoming a big clothface mask producer in the world.
Tradepromotion must be enhanced to raise consumers’ awareness about cloth masks andencourage them to switch to cloth masks instead of medical masks, Hai said.
He,however, noted that firms needed to give careful consideration when investingin face mask production as a long-term or large-scale investment because demandfor masks could drop when the pandemic was over.
Facemask producers must pay attention to meeting quality and safety requirements ofthe import markets and obtain certificates to expand exports, he added.
Accordingto the Vietnam Trade Office in the EU, many face mask and medical protectiveclothing producers in Vietnam contacted the trade office for supports infinding partners for exports of these products.
Thetrade office said that producers must note that in order to export face masksand medical protective clothing to the EU, they must get CE marking whichindicated that a product had been assessed by the manufacturers and deemed tomeet EU safety, health and environmental protection requirements.
Themass production of face masks and medical protective clothing without followingany technical standards would cause oversupply and damages if the productscould not be exported to the EU or any other markets, the trade office said.
Firmsshould learn about standards for face masks and medical protective clothing atthe following addresshttps://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_502.
Export for medical mask?
Underthe Government’s Resolution 20/NQ-CP dated February 28, in the context of theCOVID-19 pandemic, medical face masks could be exported only for the purpose ofinternational aid and assistance provided by the Vietnamese Government. Inaddition, the export volume could be a maximum of 25 percent of the output.
Theregulation aimed to give priority to the fight against the pandemic in thecountry and ensure adequate medical equipment for doctors
Accordingto Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, theGovernment should allow the export of medical mask to support domesticproducers in overcoming the difficult time.
Locsaid that the face mask production capacity of Vietnam was huge, much higherthan domestic demand. While the face mask demand in the foreign markets wasincreasing rapidly, it was time for domestic producers to grasp thatopportunity.
Still,priority must be given to meeting the domestic demand, but it was alsonecessary to take the opportunity to boost exports, Loc stressed.
Localso urged the Government to develop a strategy for medical equipmentproduction and export. “Any decision must be timely, especially in thepandemic,” he said.
Accordingto Hai, when the COVID-19 pandemic was brought under control, the domesticproduction capacity and reserve could meet demand, the Government couldconsider allowing exports of medical masks./.
Manygarment producers hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic recently invested inproducing face masks as a solution to cope with the difficult time and take theopportunities arising from the supply shortage.
Somereceived export orders worth millions of dollars, a positive sign for thegarment industry which was under huge pressure from the pandemic.
Recently,Garment 10 Corporation Joint Stock Company said that it received an exportorder for 400 million medical face masks worth 52 million USD, together withorders for 20 million cloth masks from a US partner and two million cloth masksand six million medical face masks from a German partner.
TNGInvestment and Trading Joint Stock Company also shipped millions ofanti-bacterial cloth masks to the European Union during the past month. TNG wasalso investing in producing medical face masks which was expected to startproduction from May.
Anti-bacterialcloth masks helped TNG’s sales in the domestic market in the first quarter ofthis year increase by 10 percent against the same period last year.
TNG’sdirector Nguyen Van Thoi said that there were large opportunities to exportface marks.
Accordingto the Ministry of Industry and Trade, 50 domestic producers which reported tothe ministry alone had a total production capacity of eight million face masksper day.
Besides,some companies, such as Nam Dinh Silk Textile Joint Stock Company, were nowcapable of producing anti-bacterial cloth.
Theministry said that Vietnam’s face mask production capacity could be increasedmuch further.
TranThanh Hai, Deputy Director of the ministry’s Import-Export Department, in an interviewwith Vietnam News Agency said that Vietnam was capable of becoming a big clothface mask producer in the world.
Tradepromotion must be enhanced to raise consumers’ awareness about cloth masks andencourage them to switch to cloth masks instead of medical masks, Hai said.
He,however, noted that firms needed to give careful consideration when investingin face mask production as a long-term or large-scale investment because demandfor masks could drop when the pandemic was over.
Facemask producers must pay attention to meeting quality and safety requirements ofthe import markets and obtain certificates to expand exports, he added.
Accordingto the Vietnam Trade Office in the EU, many face mask and medical protectiveclothing producers in Vietnam contacted the trade office for supports infinding partners for exports of these products.
Thetrade office said that producers must note that in order to export face masksand medical protective clothing to the EU, they must get CE marking whichindicated that a product had been assessed by the manufacturers and deemed tomeet EU safety, health and environmental protection requirements.
Themass production of face masks and medical protective clothing without followingany technical standards would cause oversupply and damages if the productscould not be exported to the EU or any other markets, the trade office said.
Firmsshould learn about standards for face masks and medical protective clothing atthe following addresshttps://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_20_502.
Export for medical mask?
Underthe Government’s Resolution 20/NQ-CP dated February 28, in the context of theCOVID-19 pandemic, medical face masks could be exported only for the purpose ofinternational aid and assistance provided by the Vietnamese Government. Inaddition, the export volume could be a maximum of 25 percent of the output.
Theregulation aimed to give priority to the fight against the pandemic in thecountry and ensure adequate medical equipment for doctors
Accordingto Vu Tien Loc, Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, theGovernment should allow the export of medical mask to support domesticproducers in overcoming the difficult time.
Locsaid that the face mask production capacity of Vietnam was huge, much higherthan domestic demand. While the face mask demand in the foreign markets wasincreasing rapidly, it was time for domestic producers to grasp thatopportunity.
Still,priority must be given to meeting the domestic demand, but it was alsonecessary to take the opportunity to boost exports, Loc stressed.
Localso urged the Government to develop a strategy for medical equipmentproduction and export. “Any decision must be timely, especially in thepandemic,” he said.
Accordingto Hai, when the COVID-19 pandemic was brought under control, the domesticproduction capacity and reserve could meet demand, the Government couldconsider allowing exports of medical masks./.
VNA
