Vietnamese agricultural products favoured in choosy EU market

Amidst difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the export of agricultural and aquatic products to the EU still sees many bright signs as Vietnamese enterprises have directly exported fresh fruits to foreign partners.

Longan is directly exported to Western European countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, and the UK. (Illustrative image/baohungyen.vn)
Longan is directly exported to Western European countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, and the UK. (Illustrative image/baohungyen.vn)

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in the first seven months of 2021, the EU was Vietnam’s third biggest market after the US and China, with a total export turnover of US$22.6 billion, up 15.6 percent year-on-year.

Of the US$28.6 billion worth of export revenues of agro-fishery-forestry products, the EU market accounted for 11 percent.

The year 2021 is considered an important milestone when fruits such as fresh litchi and longan are directly exported to Western European countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, and the UK by Vietnamese companies. It is noteworthy that Vietnam’s fresh litchi is sold not only in the Asian supermarket or stores but also European supermarket chains.

A representative of the Vietnam Trade Office in Belgium and the EU said that to help Vietnamese goods better access the EU market, it will coordinate with the Department of Agricultural Product Processing and Market Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to make a list of prestigious fruit processing and exporting enterprises across the country to connect with partners, and continue looking for new ones in the EU.

The office proposed localities pay more attention to calling on domestic exporters to closely link with households and businesses and cooperatives to promote production with Global GAP certification, and support exporters to ensure the smooth circulation of commodities.

Regarding the export of aquatic products to the EU market, a representative of the Vietnam Trade Office in Spain advised exporters to fully meet technical standards on food safety and hygiene from catching, preserving to processing and transporting so as not to violate current food safety regulations of the EU in general and Spain in particular.

The EU and Spain are increasingly interested in the social responsibility of enterprises in producing and exporting goods of the third countries.