Farm produce delivery

Official reports all show that exports of farm produce have increased sharply since the beginning of the year, but the value is very low. The latest report of the agriculture ministry shows that Vietnam’s farm, forestry and seafood produce export turnover in July reached $3.55 billion. Of this, major farm produce exports brought $1.64 billion, forestry products $893 million, seafood $785 million and livestock products $63 million. The report clearly showed that the export value of major farm produce items increased most sharply, reaching $6.01 billion, an increase of 17.3 percent. Of this, wood and woodwork alone brought $5.6 billion, up by 16.1 percent.  Meanwhile, seafood, the second important export item of Vietnam, saw decreases. The seafood export value in the first seven months of 2019 was $4.68 billion, a decrease of 1 percent from the same period last year. Catfish export turnover brought $1.16 billion (- 3.2 percent) and shrimp $1.73 billion (- 10.4 … [Read more...] about Farm produce: selling much, but making little profit

The recent signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) has opened the door wider for Vietnamese farm produce to make inroads into the more than 500-million people strong market. According to Chairman of the Vietnam Pepper Association Nguyen Nam Hai, Vietnam exports about 40,000 tonnes of pepper to the EU each year, meeting 53 percent of the market’s demand. Along with pepper, other agricultural products are gaining foothold in EU countries such as fruits, vegetables and cashew nuts. Nguyen Quoc Toan, Director of the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority (Agrotrade) under the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development, said the EU is one of the three biggest importers of Vietnamese farm produce. In the first eight months of 2019, the EU market accounted for more than 12 percent of Vietnam’s agricultural exports, he noted. Deputy head of the European-American Market Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade Tran Ngoc Quan said the EU is … [Read more...] about Door open wide for VN farm produce export to Europe

A rambutan orchard in Ben Tre. The province is seeking to boost export of its fruits, especially to China (Photo: VNA) Ben Tre (VNA) - China has high demand for fruits but new measures are needed to encourage Vietnamese exporters to ship their fruits officially to China rather than through border trade, a recent seminar heard in Ben Tre province. According to the provincial Department of Agricultural and Rural Development, the province has more than 28,000ha under fruits and grows over 300,000 tonnes of various fruits annually. They not only meet domestic demand but are also exported to many countries, with some fruits like rambutan and xiem coconut even sold to demanding markets like the US, Australia, Canada and Europe. But Nguyen Van Buoi, the department’s deputy director, said China remains the main market and exports are mainly through border trade. China has officially opened its market to eight fruits from Vietnam - mango, longan, banana, litchi, … [Read more...] about Ben Tre seeks to boost exports of key farm produce

Illustrative photo (Source: VOV) Pham Quynh Mai, deputy head of the Multilateral Trade Policy Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said that Vietnam has pledged to offer common tariff lines on goods imported from member countries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans - Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The country has committed to eliminating 66 per cent of import tariffs right after the new - generation trade pact took effect on January 14, 2019. This ratio is set to increase to 86.5 per cent three years after the implementation of CPTPP. A five-to-10-year road map on tariff cuts will be planned for the remaining categories, Mai added. She recommended that local firms should make sense of CPTPP requirements as well as binding commitments by Vietnam and other member states. Due attention should be paid to updating tariff incentives as committed in the trade pact and developing products which give enterprises an advantage over rivals in order to … [Read more...] about CPTPP to advance Vietnamese farm produce’s foothold in global supply chain

The EU is strengthening the protection of local farm produce by setting high requirements on food safety and traceability, thus putting pressure on Vietnam’s farm exports. The EU has just announced amendments to Annexes II, III and IV of the Regulation No. 396/2005 regarding the allowed residue levels of chemicals on some products such as vegetables, fruits and food. The amendments, according to Vuong Truong Giang from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), will have an impact on some farm products Vietnam exports to the EU. Vietnam now mostly exports coffee, pepper, cashew nut, rice, dragon fruit and some spices and vegetables. A report from the ministry shows a significant decrease in the export of these products last February. Vietnam, for instance, exported 12,000 tons of pepper in February, worth $35 million, a sharp 20 percent decrease in value in comparison with the same period of 2018. The total export turnover of farm, forestry and seafood … [Read more...] about Some farm exports still trying to get approval to enter choosy EU market