The Ministry of Industry and Trade successfully organized the workshop "Market trends and opportunities for exporting Vietnamese agricultural products and processed foods to international distribution systems".

On the morning of June 7, 2024, the Department of European - American Markets (Ministry of Industry and Trade) chaired and coordinated with relevant agencies to organize an international workshop with the theme "Market trends and opportunities for exporting Vietnamese agricultural products and processed foods to international distribution systems" in Ho Chi Minh City.

The workshop is one of many activities within the framework of the event series "Connecting international supply chains 2024" (Viet Nam International Sourcing 2024) organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in coordination with the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City from June 6 to 8, 2024 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC).

The workshop aims to provide updated information and in-depth assessments of changes in demand, tastes, and consumption trends; development trends and transformations of agricultural and food products in some key export markets; specific recommendations for Vietnamese export enterprises to participate more deeply in the global value chain, as well as better grasp and adapt to new standards of sustainable development. In addition, enterprises participating in the workshop have the opportunity to meet, exchange and share with foreign importers and purchasers to seek cooperation opportunities, bringing Vietnamese agricultural and food products deeper into large-scale foreign distribution systems.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang said that although the world economy faced many difficulties and challenges in 2023, the export of Vietnamese agricultural products continued to recover and grow impressively, being a bright spot in export activities, contributing positively to the trade surplus.

The export turnover of agricultural, forestry and fishery products reached over 53 billion USD, in which many agricultural products increased in both value and quantity such as rice, vegetables, coffee and cashew nuts. With advantages in geographical location, natural conditions, favorable soil conditions and incentives from 16 bilateral and regional FTAs ​​signed and being implemented with many partners around the world, especially CPTPP and EVFTA, in recent years, the export turnover of agricultural and food products has maintained a double-digit growth rate. The FTAs ​​have created a huge competitive advantage for strategic agricultural, forestry and fishery products and have strengths thanks to the commitment to reduce tariffs, especially for processed products; at the same time, increasing the attraction of high-quality foreign investment in the agricultural sector, participating deeply and sustainably in the global supply chain.

Accompanying the efforts of enterprises, in recent years, the Government, the Prime Minister, and ministries and branches have approved and implemented many important and urgent policies and projects to promote the production, processing, and export of Vietnam's agricultural products. These projects have brought about practical results, contributing to the development and diversification of export and import markets, ensuring sustainable growth in the long term; encouraging Vietnamese enterprises to strongly participate in the global production, supply, and distribution chain of goods, exporting directly to foreign distribution networks on the basis of promoting strengths and maximizing the competitive advantages of Vietnam's export goods.

Also speaking at the workshop, Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang stated that although Vietnam's agricultural sector has achieved many positive results, in reality, Vietnam still mainly exports raw goods with low processing content, accounting for about 70-80% of total export turnover, so the value and competitiveness are not high. FFay is clearly not a sustainable and effective direction. In addition, exported agricultural and food products still face many difficulties and challenges from increasingly high quality standards or requirements on origin of goods of import markets; protectionism tends to increase in many markets; or the trend of sustainable development, carbon emission reduction and environmental protection in Vietnam's key export markets will require businesses to quickly adapt and comply.

Mr. Tran Phu Lu, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Trade and Investment Promotion Center, said that the food processing industry, especially agricultural products and processed foods, is one of the four key industries prioritized for development in Ho Chi Minh City, contributing 14-15% of the total industrial production value of the city every year.

In the first months of 2024, the production situation of the City's food processing industry has recovered and grown again. The industrial production index of the City's food processing industry in the first 5 months of 2024 has increased. The export turnover of agricultural, forestry and aquatic products in the first 4 months of 2024 has grown very well, reaching more than 2 billion USD, up 67% over the same period in 2023, of which rice reached nearly 600 million USD, up 74.5%, coffee 377 million USD, up 94.3%, pepper 132 million USD, up 88%, seafood reached 285.5 million USD, up 47.5%, vegetables and fruits reached 384.4 million USD, up 56.3%.

“In order for Ho Chi Minh City’s food and foodstuff enterprises to develop sustainably, the most important thing that food and foodstuff enterprises need now is capital support policies to innovate production technology, implement digital transformation as well as convert production models to green and circular production, helping enterprises improve product quality and competitiveness. At the same time, it is necessary to promote trade promotion activities, expand domestic and export markets, especially potential new export markets,”  said Mr. Lu.

With the above identified issues, at the workshop, the Organizing Committee invited many experts, experienced speakers, with high expertise and diverse perspectives from the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Asia Chamber of Commerce - USA, Vietnam Trade Counselors, representatives of some large foreign distribution corporations such as Central Retail, Lulu, consulting companies, and some businesses in the agricultural and food industry to attend the Workshop.

Thereby, experts, speakers, and businesses shared multi-dimensional perspectives, covering prominent areas from needs, tastes, opportunities to standards, regulations, and challenges in markets, issues that businesses are particularly interested in when participating in the international supply chain.

Thuy Linh