Most of them export rice, aquatic products and seafood, which are key export products of Viet Nam in markets which are part of the TPP agreement. — Photo canthotv.vn

CAN THO (Biz Hub) — Joining the TPP presents opportunities for enterprises in the Mekong Delta to expand their markets and enhance their competitiveness, but it also means facing tougher competition.

There are more than 50,000 enterprises in the region that are engaged in a wide range of sectors, and they account for roughly 10 per cent of the country's total enterprises.

Most of them export rice, aquatic products and seafood, which are key export products of Viet Nam in markets which are part of the TPP agreement.

According to Vo Hung Dung, director of the Viet Nam Chamber for Commerce and Industry's branch in Can Tho, the TPP deal could allow the region's agro-fishery products to enter big markets in the bloc, thanks to the preferential tariff policies.

Besides, the partnership also facilitated their access to modern, advanced technologies in agricultural production through co-operation with international partners from the TPP countries, especially Japan, Dung said.

However, they would also be subject to a number of negative impacts, the expert said, pointing to disadvantages for domestic firms, who often had out-of-date technologies, weak management capability and low competitiveness compared with big foreign investors in Viet Nam and the region.

Besides, a majority of the local workforce were rural workers with limited occupational skills and inadequate foreign language competency, he said, and added that the local retail market had also been seriously affected by the domination of import products from TPP nations.

Vice Chairwoman of the Association of Enterprises in Soc Trang Province, Ma Thi Thanh called on local enterprises to restructure their operations to develop sustainably and actively.

They should also re-organise their production process, by building their human resource capabilities and reducing production costs to enhance competitiveness, she said.

Echoing Thanh, An Giang Fruit Vegetables Foodstuff Joint Stock Company (ANTESCO) Chairman Huynh Quang Dau stressed the need for domestic enterprises to prepare for strict competition during the integration period.

His company focussed on training employees, especially managerial staff, by enrolling them in training courses at home or study programmes abroad in a bid to meet the requirements for integration.

Meanwhile, the Central Institute of Economic Management (CIEM) Former Director Le Dang Doanh attached significance to links among enterprises, farmers, and exporters and importers, apart from banks, and research institutes, to ensure effective competition in TPP markets.

Additionally, enterprises in the region should invest more in human resource development, technology application and product quality improvement to meet international label, food and labour safety standards, Doanh said. — VNS