Brand building for farm produce exported to China needed: experts

Harvesting bananas for export in Dak Doa district, Gia Lai province (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese producers need to pay special heed to ensuring food safety and transparency of production information; building brands and well managing growing area codes for products exported to China, said Nguyen Nhu Tiep, Director of the Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

China is now the largest importer of Vietnam's vegetables and fruits, and ranks second in importing agro-forestry-fishery products from the Southeast Asian nation. It is seen as a "huge market" for regional and global farm produce, and one of the most demanding markets with strict requirements on quality, price, brand, and distribution forms for imported goods. This requires Vietnamese exporters to ensure the quality and brand of their products to be able to earn a sustainable foothold in the market.

To maintain and promote exports to China, Vietnamese enterprises should strictly comply with the General Administration of China Customs of China (GACC)’s Decree 248 on the Registration and Administration of Overseas Producers of Imported Food, which will take effect on January 1, 2022, and Decree 249 on the Administrative Measures on Import and Export Food Safety, Tiep said.

Deputy General Director of Dong Giao Food Export JSC (DOVECO) Pham Ngoc Thanh underlined the necessity to promote and introduce products to Chinese customers through joining trade fairs in the country, saying this is the fastest way for Chinese consumers to access Vietnamese farm produce.

Thanh suggested ministries and sectors continue to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses to attend trade promotion programmes for Vietnamese farm produce, especially in potential markets.

Huynh Tan Dat, Deputy Director of the MARD’s Plant Protection Department, said producers need to ensure strict compliance with instructions from production, harvesting, preliminary processing and processing as well as packaging, transportation and distribution, adding that this is a prerequisite for expanding exports.

He requested businesses, organisations and inpiduals to cooperate more closely with the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development; and keep close watch on China’s new regulations.

According to Le Thanh Hoa, Director of the Vietnam Sanitary and Phytosanitary Notification Authority and Enquiry Point (SPS Vietnam Office), Vietnam earned over 53 billion USD from exporting agro-forestry-fishery products in 2022, including over 14 billion USD from the Chinese market.

Vietnam has exported 16 farm produce to China, including banana, durian, mangosteen, black jelly, rice bran, rice, sweet potato, watermelon, dragon fruit, mango, jackfruit, longan, lychee, rambutan, chili, and passion fruit. The MARD has been negotiating with Chinese authorities for opening the door for other products such as avocado, pomelo, pineapple, custard apple, and cardamom./.