70th anniversary of Hanoi's Liberation Day Vietnam - Asia 2023 Smart City Summit Hanoi celebrates 15 years of administrative boundary adjustment 12th Vietnam-France decentrialized cooperation conference 31st Sea Games - Vietnam 2021 Covid-19 Pandemic
Home / Economy / Agriculture
Vietnam in need of national strategy for veggie exports to EU
Hai Yen 19:16, 2021/10/26
Vietnam currently makes up 1% of total EU imports of vegetables and fruits.

Vietnam is in need of a national strategy for exporting vegetables and fruits to the EU so that the country could better take advantage of the EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and gain greater shares in this important market.

 Overview of the online conference. Photo: Hai Yen

Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan gave the remarks at an online conference discussing the prospects of exporting vegetables and fruits from Vietnam to the EU today [October 26].

According to Hoan, every year, the EU imports around US$40 billion in vegetables and fruits, in which Vietnam makes up less than 1% of that figure.

“Such a number remains modest given the fact that Vietnam has already had in place a trade deal with the EU compared to other major exporters of farm produce in Asia, in Latin America or Africa,” Hoan added.

The minister suggested a long-term strategy with the participation of ministries, provinces/cities, and Vietnamese embassies in Europe would help address a range of issues that the local agricultural sector is facing in going global, on how to develop concentrated production areas in an efficient way, deal with logistics issues or update on changes in customer preferences.

Besides product quality, Hoan noted social responsibilities and green consumption should be the way for Vietnamese enterprises to focus on convincing European customers.

“Vietnam should promote the image of an agricultural sector that is transparent, environmentally friendly, and responsible,” he added.

Sharing Hoan’s view, the Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium and the Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to the EU Nguyen Van Thao noted Vietnam needs a consistent and long-term approach for the whole EU, instead of a single country, from an early stage of production to packaging and distribution.

Thao considered Hoan’s proposal of a strategy for exporting vegetables and fruits to the EU as part of an overall economic plan in the post-pandemic period, in which the agricultural sector with huge potential should spearhead the recovery process.

“With the people and enterprises staying central in the recovery process, Vietnamese embassies and missions abroad are committed to continuing cooperating with local provinces/cities in working on an overall plan to support Vietnamese farm produce penetrating the European market,” Thao said.

Tran Van Cong, Vietnam’s agricultural counselor in Europe, noted for the first eight months of 2021, Vietnam’s export turnover of vegetables and fruits to the EU rose by 7.7% year on year to $103 million, mainly dragon fruits, passion fruits, durian, and jack fruits.

“Given growing demand from the EU for tropical and processed fruits, Vietnam has huge potential to further expand its market share in the region,” said Cong.

Cong, however, noted inconsistency in product quality, high transportation cost, and long-distance travel are among issues affecting the competitiveness of local farm produce.

“A lack of understanding on technical specifications from the EU market is putting Vietnamese enterprises at risk of potential trade disputes,” he added.

Cong called for the Vietnamese Government to provide greater incentives for local businesses in applying technologies in production, preservation to better meet demands from strict markets.

“Lowering logistics costs and using technologies for origin tracing is essential for Vietnamese agricultural products to have a chance and compete in the EU markets,” he said.

RELATED NEWS
TAG: Vietnam agricultural sector EU EVFTA vegetables tropical fruits
Other news
17:08, 2024/03/21
Hanoi boosts sustainable aquaculture with high-tech farming
The average fish farm productivity in Hanoi is about five tons per hectare. This can reach 10 to 12 tons in modern aquaculture.
22:51, 2024/03/17
Hanoi craft contest to fosters artisanal preservation
The awards ceremony for outstanding products will be held in the fourth quarter of this year.
15:30, 2024/03/13
Hanoi expands safe supply chains
Cooperation between Hanoi and other localities under the Coordinated Program to Ensure Food Safety has made an important contribution to securing sources of supply, especially during holidays.
07:24, 2024/03/09
Farm economy – bright spot of Hanoi agriculture in 2024
Farms in Hanoi are thriving, but there are deficiencies in scale and planning that have prevented the full potential of the agricultural economy from being realized.
08:07, 2024/03/06
Conservation and promotion of medicinal plants in Hanoi
Hanoi has set a goal of planting 400 hectares of medicinal plants by 2025 and 1,000 hectares by 2030.
21:05, 2024/03/05
More than 100 four-star OCOP products recognized in 2023
The Hanoi People’s Committee on March 4 issued a Decision approving the evaluation and grading results of the One Commune One Product (OCOP) program.