Despite benefiting a lot from the EVFTA Agreement, Vietnamese agricultural products exported to the European market are still having to compete fiercely with China and Thailand.

Presenting at the European Regional Trade Counselor Conference held on July 18 and 19, 2024 on solutions to promote agricultural exports to the Polish market in particular and the European market in general, Mr. Nguyen Son - Commercial Counselor, Vietnam Trade Office in Poland frankly admitted; There is a reality that, despite enjoying many advantages from the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA); Vietnamese agricultural products are still competing fiercely with agricultural products and processed foods from China and Thailand.

"Vietnamese exported goods often suffer losses in design and processing technology" - Commercial Counselor Nguyen Son stated the fact and said; to promote the export of goods to other markets in addition to gradually investing and developing the domestic food industry to improve the competitiveness of products; Trade deals also need to exploit and find markets for unique Vietnamese products, characterized by the age-old commercial principle of "buy from bored people, sell to hungry people".

Also according to Commercial Counselor Nguyen Son, with a geographical location stretching from North to South including diverse climates, soils, unique culture and long history; Vietnam has many unique products with regional flavors. Cuisine is one of the factors that attract tourists to Vietnam and now the mission of the Counselors is to introduce and bring Vietnamese specialties to the world.

Poland is one of the European countries with a large Vietnamese community. Thousands of Vietnamese restaurants have become familiar culinary addresses for the people of Warsaw. Among them, many restaurants are on the list of most popular restaurants. This system of restaurants and Asian food wholesale and retail chains make an important contribution to the export turnover of agricultural products and food from Vietnam to Poland.

Recalling the suggestion of Minister Nguyen Hong Dien in a trade promotion meeting "buy for those who are bored, sell for those who crave"; Recently, the Vietnam Trade Office in Poland has included the content of connecting Vietnamese localities with agricultural product distribution businesses in Poland into its work program. With the approval of the Embassy, ​​the Trade Office requested a Vietnamese local working group; came to work in the research area to bring some OCOP products (products in the national One Commune One Product program) to promote and introduce.

Along with that, the Trade Department coordinated with the Business Association to organize an introduction and display area at a commercial center. Food distributors in the area are invited to visit the stalls, learn about the products and interact with the local delegation. Implementing this Program, recently, the working group of Dong Thap province brought 15 boxes with about 30-40 processed agricultural products. Dong Thap specialties were enjoyed and warmly welcomed by the delegates attending the booth.

In fact, this is a potential model to incorporate trade promotion content into local working group programs. With nearly 10 thousand OCOP products, many of which meet 4-5 star standards and meet food hygiene and safety standards for export to the European market; We have many unique specialties to introduce to the world without being "in competition" with neighboring competitors.

Besides, unlike supermarket systems, which require large and financially capable manufacturers; The scale of local OCOP product production facilities is consistent with the capacity and import needs of small retailers in the Polish market.

In 2024, the Vietnam Trade Office in Poland will continue to deploy this model by welcoming delegations from provinces and cities to learn from experience and call for investment...With cooperation and support from localities, more Vietnamese specialties will be introduced to Polish consumers, contributing to deepening trade relations and cultural exchanges between the two peoples.

Source: Vietnamexport