Looking from the impressive growth of value-added processed pangasius exports or the preference of international customers for products processed from sugarcane; or opportunities to increase value in the coffee industry, to see that promoting the advantage of value-added goods in exporting Vietnamese agricultural products is very necessary. That not only helps businesses make new orders at better prices but also avoid "wasting" space to increase value.

According to predictions made by analysts of the Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (Vasep) on May 6, pangasius export prices will likely be adjusted to increase by at least 10% compared to the current price in the second half of this year and it is expected that the export situation will be better from the third quarter of 2024.

Select strategies for processed goods

In addition, a notable point is that value-added processed pangasius exports (VAT) to two main markets, China and the US, had impressive growth in the first quarter of this year. Specifically, China and Hong Kong bought more than 305 thousand USD of processed pangasius products from Vietnam, an increase of 40% over the same period last year; The US imported this product with a value of 559 thousand USD, an increase of 449% over the same period in 2023.

Diversifying processed products to meet the needs of international customers is a way for businesses to promote the advantages of value-added goods for Vietnamese agricultural products.

Data shows that in the export of pangasius products in the first quarter of this year, while exports of frozen pangasius fillets decreased by 5%, exports of processed pangasius products with added value increased by 16%; However, it only accounts for 2% of the proportion. It is worth noting that two by-product lines, pangasius maw and fish skin snacks, recorded positive increases.

The Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (Vasep) said that market fluctuations in recent years show that choosing a business strategy for processed value-added products will be more suitable for Vietnamese seafood enterprises. Therefore, there is a shift in product structure in each key export industry. Especially in markets like the US, EU, and Japan, VAT products are Vietnam's advantage.

Therefore, to contribute to the recovery and breakthrough of the seafood industry in the second half of this year, it is necessary for businesses to promote their advantages in processing products with added value; especially the proportion of this item in total export turnover is needed.

For example, from the perspective of a leading shrimp exporter, Mr. Ho Quoc Luc, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sao Ta Food Joint Stock Company (FMC), emphasized that the strategy for the future is the need to improve processing levels; Diversify products to attract consumers and maintain high-end market share. For example, shrimp processing businesses now make dumplings, shumai... Fish businesses make more agricultural products, more cakes... And all are highly processed goods. And the price is also high!

Besides the story about the value-added products of the seafood industry, we should also mention recent information about the canned pure sugarcane juice product of Lam Son Sugar Joint Stock Company (Lasuco) in Thanh Hoa, which is being distributed quite effectively in Thanh Hoa. Convenience stores and supermarkets in the coastal city of Miami, Florida (USA). Although it was only introduced to the US market 2 months ago, "made in Vietnam" canned sugarcane juice products are very popular with consumers here.

As shared by Mr. Do Ngoc Hung, Commercial Counselor, Head of the Vietnam Trade Office in the US; Sugarcane is a crop with great export potential, and especially sugarcane products (stripped and cleaned) are not on the list that must undergo pest risk assessment, so they can be exported to the US market at any time.

Experts believe that exporting canned pure sugarcane juice or exporting frozen and frozen fresh sugarcane juice is also a way to promote the added value advantage of Vietnam's sugarcane crop. This is also to meet the high demand of consumers around the world during the hot season. There are even Vietnamese enterprises that produce and export "trend-catching" sugarcane juice products when mixed with coconut water, coconut water, kumquat juice, passion fruit juice..., thereby helping to create added value for Vietnamese agricultural products.

Avoid "wasting" space to increase value

For example, Viet Goods Trade Co., Ltd. in Tien Giang is recognized as having a lot of experience in the field of producing frozen fresh sugar cane and frozen sugar cane juice for export to markets such as the US (more than 2,000 tons in 2023), France, Germany, Poland, Hungary, New Zealand, Korea, Singapore…

Last year, this company exported more than 3,000 tons of fresh sugarcane, frozen sugarcane and frozen sugarcane juice. The company's production capacity of frozen sugarcane juice for export is 1,200 tons/year, while the production capacity of fresh frozen sugarcane for export is 3,500 tons/year.

In promoting the added value advantage of Vietnamese agricultural products when exporting, we can also mention the story in March 2024; The first batch of 40 tons of organic green coffee from Vinh Hiep Co., Ltd. in Gia Lai province was exported to the Japanese market after 2 years of negotiations. The selling price of this organic green coffee product is said to be 35% higher than regular coffee.

This is considered a good sign, opening up opportunities to increase value added for the Vietnamese coffee industry, as well as meet international standards for sustainable export. Especially in the context of this industry still "wasting" huge potential space to increase value.

Typically, when exporting coffee to potential neighboring markets like Singapore, Vietnam is the 9th ranked coffee export partner and still holds a fairly small market share (only about 2.2%). Part of the reason is that Vietnamese businesses have not been able to meet the demand for high-value, high-quality coffee products, especially to serve at high-end hotels, restaurants, and coffee shops here.

According to new information released from the Vietnam Trade Office in Singapore, the market share of Vietnamese coffee in Singapore is still very modest compared to other partners in the region. Meanwhile, in addition to domestic consumption demand, Singapore is also a leading transshipment trade center in the region. If exploited well, it will help export Vietnamese coffee products to third countries.

Experts note; To increase the market share of Vietnamese coffee in Singapore, Vietnamese businesses need to pay attention to products with high value added to meet the trend of drinking Western-style coffee here (drinking ground coffee on the spot).

In addition, the need of Singaporean businesses is to import Vietnamese coffee and re-export it to the world market (the country ranks 5th in the world in terms of coffee re-export). Therefore, the room in this market is very large, so instead of "wasting", businesses need to pay attention and make more efforts to take advantage of coffee products with high added value.

It can be said that promoting the advantage of value-added goods in export activities is very necessary for the Vietnamese agricultural product industry at this time. That not only helps businesses make new orders at better prices but also contributes to increasing export turnover and enhancing the brand of Vietnamese agricultural products in the world market.

According to: The Vinh - Vnbusiness Newspaper