Vietnamese agricultural products win more export orders to Europe

Vietnamese agricultural products drew great attention at SIAL Paris 2018

Conquering Europe

During the five days (from October 21 to 25) of global food marketplace SIAL Paris 2018, Long Son JSC, which operates in processing and exporting cashew nuts, signed contracts worth $6 million with European customers.

In 2017, Long Son earned $217 million from exporting cashew nuts, and its turnover is expected to reach $240 million by the end of this year. The export order received in France will be the launching platform for their exports in 2019.

Operating a chain of vegetable processing plants located across the country, with decades of experience in exporting fresh and processed vegetables, it was not difficult for Dong Giao Foodstuff Export JSC (DOVECO) to conquer European customers and win a canned vegetable export order valued at $4 million.

“After the event, we will continue negotiating with customers for more export orders with higher values,” said the leader of DOVECO.

In addition, two other Vietnamese food giants, Nafoods Group JSC and Hanoi Trade Joint Stock Corporation signed export contracts of $5 million and $2 million, respectively.

According to Vietnam-based enterprises attending SIAL Paris 2018, most Vietnamese products, including the ones already exported to Europe and the ones which were freshly introduced this year, received positive feedback from consumers.

Bringing organic cinnamon and pepper to Paris, Viet Pepper Company Limited were overjoyed with the enthusiastic welcome Vietnamese spices received from European customers. Director of Viet Pepper Hua Thi Thuy Lien said the business is co-operating with marketing specialists in France and Denmark to build a Vietnamese brand of organic pepper which fits the strict criteria of the European Union.

More plants will promote export

The orders for processed agricultural products once again prove that enterprises were wise to invest into modern processing plants. The processing industry also makes great contributions to solving the excess supply of agricultural products as well as boosting exportation.

Pham Ngoc Thanh, deputy general director of DOVECO, said that the company can export frozen lychee all year round, even when they are out of season. Equipped with the latest Japanese processing technology, DOVECO is able to fully maintain the freshness of lychees for a period of two years by using fluidised bed IQF (individual quick freezing).

As planned, DOVECO’s vegetable processing centre located in the Central Highlands will officially go on stream in December, processing vegetables and fruits for exportation.

The project consists of three plants, each of which has a designed annual capacity of 10,000 tonnes, including a juice concentrate and a puree manufacturing plant, a frozen vegetable manufacturing plant, and a vegetable processing and canning plant.

Bich Chi Food JSC is another business which has been heartened by its achievements after the trip to France.

Talking to VIR, Bich Chi’s deputy head of the import-export department Bui Thi Ngoc Tuyen, who brought the company’s products to SIAL Paris, said that their three flagship products – shrimp-chips, dried Pho (flat rice vermicelli noodles) and rice-paper –were all highly appreciated by both Asian and European customers, especially those from Korea and Japan, for meeting their strict requirements.

“Although we have not received any orders yet, we had the opportunity to meet nearly 100 prospective wholesale customers, as well as made ourselves and our products known. After coming returning to Vietnam, we still keep in touch with the customers,” Tuyen added.

He added, “The second factory located in Dong Thap will help expand the company’s production capacity, boosting the supply for exportation and developing new products,” adding that at the moment, Bich Chi is hastening the construction of the second factory to be put into operation in 2019.

As more large-scale manufacturing plants are being built, which will contribute to increasing production capacity meeting strict market standards, and businesses are growing bold enough to take the initiative, Vietnam stands on the brink of breakthrough growth in new markets.