Thanks to cultural and cuisine similarities and geographical proximity, China has been a key market for Vietnamese farm produce for many years, but enterprises need to take a new approach in the market today, said an official.

Nguyen Quoc Toan, acting head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department of Farm Produce Processing and Development, said manufacturing must meet standards and tastes of consumers while focusing on packaging and processing to increase the value of Vietnamese farm produce.

Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Chinese Consulate General in HCM City Wei Xichen said China has expanded imports to meet increasing demand and has become the world’s largest importer of farm produce in recent years. Its farm produce imports now account for one tenth of the world’s total with average annual growth of 8.8 per cent.

He pointed out that most of Viet Nam’s exports to China are via cross-border channels, so they lack trademarks, and Vietnamese exporters don’t fully understand the Chinese consumption market.

Wei said the State must study the market, grasp its development trends and issue guidelines on agricultural production.

He suggested Vietnamese firms partner with Chinese e-commerce giants to open online outlets and provide farm produce for new supermarkets.

Last year, Viet Nam earned US$3.5 billion from exports of vegetables and fruits, 76 per cent of which came from sales in China. — VNS