Vietnam’sagro-forestry-fishery exports only account for below four percent ofSingapore’s total imports, Le An Hai, deputy head of the MoIT’sAsian-Pacific Market Department, told Vietnam News Agency correspondentson the sidelines of an October 9 meeting on seafood and agriculturalproducts between representatives from some 40 Singaporean associationsand businesses and 16 Vietnamese companies.
Almost all theVietnamese firms in the delegation to Singapore had gained a footholdhere but still wanted to expand their market share, he added.
FromOctober 7-9, the delegation had working sessions with the InternationalEnterprise Singapore, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority ofSingapore, the Singapore Fruits and Vegetables Importers and ExportersAssociation, and NTUC Fairprice – the country’s leading supermarketchain.
The two sides discussed the increase of Vietnameseexports, the attraction of Singaporean importers and producers’investment in Vietnam, and cooperation in animal and plant quarantine,Hai said.
Nguyen Viet Chi, Vietnamese Commercial Counsellor toSingapore, said almost all seafood and agricultural products on sale inthe country are imports, and these are of Vietnam’s strength.
Vietnam’sseafood and agricultural exports to Singapore enjoyed an average annualgrowth of nearly 20 percent, rising from 279 million SGD (219.6 millionUSD) in 2011 to around 400 million SGD (314.8 million USD) in 2013.
Vietnamis Singapore’s third largest exporter of rice and aquatic products withrespective export revenues of nearly 79 million SGD and 92 million SGDin 2013, she elaborated, adding that it is the eighth biggest purveyorof fruits and vegetables in Singapore with around 42 million SGD inrevenue last year.
Chi stressed that Singapore’s demand forseafood and agricultural products remain enormous, which is a greatopportunity for Vietnamese companies to boost their exports.
LeeBoon Cheow, President of Singapore Fish Merchants General Association,said: “Vietnam’s frozen fish is quite popular in Singapore; the price isvery reasonable to suit our market’s demand. Normally, the fish is verygood in taste for consumers.”
“Ourassociation will try to increase chilled fish (import) from Vietnambecause we can import from Thailand and Myanmar and I think Vietnam isalso possible”, he added.-VNA