With a population of over 100 million, the demand for agricultural products in the domestic market is quite large. Experts say that it is time for Vietnamese agricultural products to conquer the Vietnamese market.

Strengthening trade promotion activities for agricultural products (Source: H.H)

Assessing the quality of agricultural products, Ms. Trinh Huyen Mai - Deputy Head of the Department of Policy - Trade Promotion, Department of Trade Promotion, Ministry of Industry and Trade said that in recent times, the quality of Vietnamese agricultural products has improved significantly to meet the needs of the market, which is increasingly demanding, more diverse, more careful about food safety, form, design, packaging and quality of service supply.

However, according to Ms. Mai, the factor of transparency of product information is also very important. Recently, cooperatives and processing enterprises have been granted growing area codes, traceability codes, and applied VietGap and GlobalGap programs for their products. However, looking at the overview, the level and proportion are still limited and small compared to the majority of floating agricultural products, of unknown origin, or product information is still sketchy and incomplete, making it difficult for consumers to verify the information. Meanwhile, the cost of consumption for quality, proven products is much higher than for conventional products.

According to Ms. Trinh Huyen Mai, the lack of transparency in product information is a factor that negatively affects the healthy competition of the market. For example, manufacturers do not have the pressure to do things correctly and according to standards; when manufacturers do things correctly and according to standards, they lack the motivation to maintain quality. For consumers, they either have to pay more for products that are not known to be safe or cleaner than advertised, or they gradually lose confidence in Vietnamese agricultural products. That invisibly reduces the competitiveness of Vietnamese agricultural products in the domestic market compared to imported products.

It is also acknowledged that although Vietnamese agricultural products are considered to be of high quality by many markets, and Vietnam's major export markets such as the US, Japan, and Europe are demanding markets, according to Mr. Nguyen Minh Tien - Director of the Agricultural Trade Promotion Center (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), Vietnamese consumers do not have the conditions to contact and access high-quality agricultural products. This is partly due to the orientation of the enterprises themselves and comes from a number of reasons.

According to Mr. Tien, currently most large enterprises trading agricultural products, especially high-value agricultural products, mostly focus on the export market; the export value in the international market is higher than the domestic market. With higher profits, domestic enterprises will prioritize exports. On the part of state agencies, the control mechanism and management work are not really complete. While consumers want cheap products, agricultural products that do not ensure quality or are of low quality are still floating on the market.

Experts say that it is time for Vietnamese agricultural products to conquer the Vietnamese market. Improving the quality, positioning and branding of Vietnamese agricultural products to "firmly" stand on the home ground is not only a prerequisite to unblock the flow of domestic agricultural products, but also helps products confidently reach out to the world.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tien said that in the past, large enterprises focused on the export market, but now they have begun to pay attention to the domestic market. The problem of how to make large domestic enterprises prioritize the supply of high-quality agricultural products requires a combination of many factors.

First, on the part of state management agencies, it is necessary to create favorable conditions, form value chains, and provide a connection chain between modern distribution systems and businesses. With the booming trend of e-commerce, especially social networks, it is necessary to support and create conditions for businesses. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will cooperate with e-commerce platforms to sell products with traceable origin and safety.

In order for consumers to truly believe in Vietnamese products, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has supported businesses and cooperatives to promote on social networking platforms, because livestreams create a huge ripple effect. Through livestreams, consumers will perceive the value of the product, and accordingly, their ability to pay for the product will be higher.

Along with that, it is necessary to promote specialized logistics systems, especially cold logistics, cold storage, specialized vehicles to ensure that products reach consumers in a standard manner, ensuring quality and safety.

Finally, it is aimed at professional farmers. Mr. Tien said that farmers need to be licensed, ensure legal procedures, form distribution channels, and with the participation of the State and associations, domestic consumers will have more access to high-quality agricultural products.

On the side of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in order to support output for agricultural products, Ms. Mai said that in recent times, the Department of Trade Promotion, Ministry of Industry and Trade has regularly coordinated to implement many trade promotion activities, develop domestic markets for Vietnamese agricultural products, support businesses to develop products, expand distribution channels for local, regional and national specialty products. In particular, with the focus on the national trade promotion program, the Trade Promotion Agency has implemented many innovations, enhancing trade promotion activities to develop the domestic market for agricultural products.

On average, each year the program supports the host units, localities, associations, and industries to organize about 15 regional fairs for local agricultural products, specialties, and OCOP products; strengthen trade connections for industries, combined with promoting, propagating, and introducing products.

In the coming time, Ms. Trinh Huyen Mai said, the Trade Promotion Agency, Ministry of Industry and Trade will continue to coordinate with ministries, branches; manufacturers, distributors continue to promote trade for seasonal local agricultural products in the domestic market./.

Source: Communist Party of Vietnam Electronic Newspaper