Vietnamese firms face uphill task to export farm produce to Thailand
A delegation of 30 Vietnamese enterprises, mostly from Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces, attended the recent Thaifex, the leading food, beverage and food technology in Thailand, to introduce outstanding farm produce of Vietnam in the market at a hope to export more products to the country.
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Aware that Thailand itself is a major farm produce exporter, the Vietnamese firms chose high quality products with marked differences in quality and taste from Thai products to showcase at the event, including organic products.
Dang Thi Diem Thuy from Vinamit said that the firm brought organic rice, mango and banana to the fair, which left strong impression on local consumers.
Meanwhile, Co May company from the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap introduced its fried basa (pangasius bocourti) fish skin and mushroom deep fried crackers, and Betrimex company of Ben Tre showcased coconut products such as coconut milk and juice.
According to the Asian-African Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, strong growth was seen in the Vietnam-Thailand trade revenue over the past years.
Last year, Vietnam mostly exported to Thailand telephone and accessories, computers, electronic products, crude oil, transport vehicles and spare parts. Meanwhile, Thailand exported many agricultural products to Vietnam, especially fruit. In the first four months of this year, Vietnam imported US$203 million worth of Thai fruits, up over 28% year on year.
The department attributed the rise to Vietnam’s reduction of tax in line with the roadmap under the ASEAN agreement on trade in goods (ATIGA).
Thai products are competitive thanks to their good quality and reasonable prices. Thai businesses have also been active in organising trade promotion activities and invested strongly in distribution channels in Vietnam.
The department held that selling agricultural products to the Thai market is a tough task for Vietnamese firms.
Vu Kim Hanh, President of the High-Quality Vietnamese Products Association, which brought the Vietnamese firms to Thaifex, said that this is the first time Vietnamese products are introduced abroad using the logos of “high-quality Vietnamese products selected for domestic products” and “high-quality Vietnamese products meeting global integration standards”.
Due to the high requirements, only 60 enterprises in food industry are eligible for the title of “high-quality Vietnamese products meeting global integration standards”.
Hanh held that Vietnamese agricultural products have high potential in expanding markets. However, she advised domestic firms to invest more in building value chain for their products, in order to broaden markets and compete with products of other countries.
