Workshop on distributing Vietnamese agricultural products, processed food held in Ho Chi Minh City

Nguyen Thao Hien, Deputy Director of the department, said that Vietnam has made breakthroughs in exporting agricultural products over recent years despite difficulties and changes in the world market and supply chains.

People attend the international workshop on bringing Vietnamese agricultural products and processed food to international distribution system - Photo: congthuong.vn

Vietnam has the advantages of geographical location, favourable natural conditions, and incentives from 15 bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) with many partners around the world. The Southeast Asian nation has maintained the growth of agricultural, aquatic, and food export turnover at double-digit rates for years and it export value reached 53.2 billion USD in 2022. Many product groups saw a turnover of over 2 billion USD such as wood, seafood, coffee, rubber, rice, cashew, and vegetables.

In 2022, Vietnamese agricultural products such as fresh bananas, sweet potato, bird's nest, grapefruit, longan, passion fruit, and durian were eligible to export to developed and high-standard markets around the world.

In 2023, despite challenges, including high inflation in major export markets, Vietnam's export turnover of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products is forecast to surpass the amount of 50 billion USD. Currently, Vietnam is the world's largest supplier of cashew nuts and pepper, and the third largest supplier of rice, and coffee.

The export of vegetables and fruits is a bright spot in Vietnam's exports of agricultural products. Total exports are expected to reach the historic milestone of 5 billion USD in 2023.

Le Thanh Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Quality, Processing, and Market Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that Vietnam has strengths in agricultural production and Vietnamese agricultural and food products are present in over 190 countries around the world.

However, most of the products are exported in the form of raw and semi-processed materials. Few of them are high value-added products or developing branding to access large-scale distribution chains.

According to Hoa, for Vietnamese products to better penetrate international distribution systems, Vietnam's agriculture and food industry must quickly improve institutions and build a system of standards and technical requirements that are appropriate to the current situation and integration.

The country needs mechanisms to allocate and mobilise resources for training, managing, and supporting producers to ensure food quality and safety at all stages from production, harvesting, preservation, processing, and consumption in domestic and overseas markets.

In addition, it’s necessary to regularly update regulations, market analysis information, and consumer tastes to develop appropriate products, Hoa said.