Vietnam must specify target markets for organic farm produce
Harvesting organic vegetables at Kien Giang Organic Agricultural Cooperative.
Vietnam needs to specify target markets and control the implementation of standards in organic agricultural production to meet the needs of the domestic and foreign markets.
At a forum on the development of organic farm produce held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on November 21 in Ho Chi Minh City, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam said that organic agricultural production must be associated with the development of the consumption market.
Organic products with specific characteristics must comply with strict standards and often have low yields and high costs. These products are for the high-end market segment.
According to Nam, organic agriculture development must be the right way to approach potential customers at home and abroad.
Along with reasonable planning, standards and management for the production and certification of organic agricultural products must be strictly implemented to improve the quality of Vietnam's certified organic products.
Vietnamese organic farming products are exported to about 180 countries and territories, with an export turnover of 335 million USD per year. The exported organic farming products are tea, shrimp, rice, cashew nuts, pepper, cinnamon, anise, essential oils, and spices.
The main export markets of those products include France, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, China, Cambodia, the US, Italy, Germany, the UK, Russia, Canada, Belgium, Thailand, Malaysia, Netherlands, Hong Kong (China) and Taiwan (China).
According to MARD, market research companies believed that the demand for organic food is on a strong upward trend and even exceeds the supply on the world market.
The scale of the global organic food market is forecast to have an annual growth rate of 14% during 2021-2026, from 227.19 billion USD in 2021 to 259.06 billion USD by 2022 and 437.36 billion USD by 2026. The regions having the fastest growth are North America and Europe.
The Government has issued Decree 109/2018/ND-CP on organic farming regulations and a scheme for developing organic agriculture from 2020 to 2030, creating a foundation for the development of Vietnam's organic agriculture industry, according to Nguyen Quoc Toan, Director of the Department of Agricultural Product Processing and Market Development.
As a result, the area of organic agricultural production is increasing rapidly and has so far reached 174,351 ha, 47% higher than that in 2016. The variety of organic farming products is also increasing though output is lower than expected.
Most localities produce organic farming products. In addition, the number of organisations and inpiduals doing organic agricultural production is increasing.
Organic agricultural products are mainly consumed in big cities such as Hanoi, Da Nang and HCM City at modern distribution channels such as trading centres, supermarket chains, and convenience stores. Organic farming products on the domestic market are mainly rice, vegetables, fruits, meat, tea, coffee, pepper and cashew nuts.
However, the supply still needs to meet the demand, and many certified organic farming products are for export.
Toan said that developing organic agriculture in Vietnam had faced many difficulties and obstacles and had not had significant results.
There were difficulties in awareness, production costs, input materials, human resources and technology application. Some other major areas for improvement needed more specific support mechanisms and policies to encourage investment and development for organic agriculture. The support scale was small compared to real needs.
Le Trong Kha, CEO of LeKhaMart, said that Vietnam's organic agricultural production was still fragmented, and the production area was still modest and not concentrated.
The planning and linkages among regions and enterprises in rural areas still needed to be improved. In addition, the organisation of production chains had yet to be implemented on a large scale, so the development of organic agriculture had not gained significant results.
The development of organic agricultural products follows the trend but needs to meet strict standards under the standard organic certification, however, according to Kha, the maintenance of organic standards after being certified has yet to be taken seriously.
Vietnam should have strict sanctions to create fairness and transparency in organic farming development, he said./.
Related News
Binh Duong transports 400 tonnes of farm produce to China by railway daily
16:26 | 17/07/2023 Import-Export
Vietnamese authorities move to facilitate farm produce exports to China
15:08 | 07/06/2023 Import-Export
Huge upside for Vietnam’s organic products in Europe
19:42 | 19/02/2023 Import-Export
Vietnam expects more markets to open to farm produce in 2023
17:30 | 03/01/2023 Import-Export
Latest News
EU partners no longer 'lenient', Vietnam must adapt through ESG policies
09:02 | 05/11/2024 Import-Export
Changes in Canada's trade defense laws
09:00 | 05/11/2024 Import-Export
Import and export are expected to reach 800 billion USD
13:32 | 04/11/2024 Import-Export
Fresh coconuts quenching new overseas markets
13:29 | 04/11/2024 Import-Export
More News
Rice exports likely to set new record in 2024
13:25 | 04/11/2024 Import-Export
Vietnamese goods conquer halal market through trust and quality
09:57 | 04/11/2024 Import-Export
Exporters urged to have strategies to take advantage of UKVFTA for expansion
17:33 | 03/11/2024 Import-Export
Fresh coconuts quenching new overseas markets
17:29 | 03/11/2024 Import-Export
Vietnam and UAE trade sees billion-dollar growth
07:15 | 03/11/2024 Import-Export
Sharing responsibility for ensuring security and safety of the supply chain
07:13 | 03/11/2024 Import-Export
Many factors affecting tuna exports in the last months of the year
19:38 | 02/11/2024 Import-Export
Vietnam still dominates Philippine rice import
19:36 | 02/11/2024 Import-Export
Vietnam cements ties with partners to engage in global semiconductor, AI industries
19:35 | 02/11/2024 Import-Export
Your care
EU partners no longer 'lenient', Vietnam must adapt through ESG policies
09:02 | 05/11/2024 Import-Export
Changes in Canada's trade defense laws
09:00 | 05/11/2024 Import-Export
Import and export are expected to reach 800 billion USD
13:32 | 04/11/2024 Import-Export
Fresh coconuts quenching new overseas markets
13:29 | 04/11/2024 Import-Export
Rice exports likely to set new record in 2024
13:25 | 04/11/2024 Import-Export