GIA LAI — Thanks to advantages from free trade agreements (FTAs), the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai has achieved its export turnover target of US$750 million two months earlier than planned.

The province's agricultural products account for more than 83 per cent of total export turnover, forestry products and other products account for 15 per cent, and the province will continue to develop key export products such as coffee, pepper, cashew nuts and rubber latex.

In addition, the province will also promote the expansion of potential products such as roasted coffee, instant coffee, canned fruit and fruit juice to markets that have signed FTAs ​​with Việt Nam such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Việt Nam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the UK-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA).

In addition, the provincial agencies and import-export enterprises have also quickly adjusted export strategies to comply with new regulations of demanding markets such as the EU.

The EU has now officially issued the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which applies to seven groups of imported goods into the market. Việt Nam has three main affected industries: wood, rubber and coffee.

Exporting enterprises have proactively researched and understood the requirements of EUDR, and have changed or adjusted their current supply chains to fully meet the requirements of EUDR. Priority is given to building sustainable certified supply chains of raw materials.

Meanwhile, Gia Lai Province's Department of Industry and Trade has stepped up the work of updating market information, developing plans to promote exports, and strengthening trade promotion activities to help businesses proactively expand markets.

Gia Lai Province currently has more than 100,000 hectares of coffee, with an output of approximate 315,000 tonnes per year, more than 7,700 hectares of pepper, with an output of 23,300 tonnes per year, 84,000 hectares of rubber with a dry latex output of 79,000 tonnes per year and over 30,000 hectares of various fruits and many other agricultural products, which are rich sources of raw materials for processing and exporting agricultural products of the province.

There are more than 255,600 hectares of crops of all kinds produced according to VietGAP, GlobalGAP, 4C, Organic, Rainforest Alliance and FLO standards.

The province's agricultural products have been exported to nearly 50 countries and territories.

The European market accounts for about 60 per cent of the province's total export turnover with items such as coffee, wood products, processed fruits, while the Asian market makes up 30 per cent with items such as rubber, coffee, and wood products. — VNS