Viet Nam expects to promote Vietnamese coffee exports to Spain due to higher coffee demand in this European market in the 2022-2025 period, according to the Viet Nam Trade Office in Spain.

A survey of the Spanish market showed that up to 87 per cent of its population aged between 18 and 64 drink coffee and 70 per cent do so daily. The average is 2.2 cups a day and the preferred place is at home (61 per cent), followed by bars or restaurants (26 per cent) and work (21 per cent).

To promote the sustainable export of agricultural commodities and coffee in particular to this market, the Trade Office has asked for collaboration from localities and trade associations to hold online and in-person workshops to introduce business opportunities to exporters, as well as hold more trips to Spain to connect Vietnamese importers, distributors and major supermarkets with Spanish partners.

It has also emphasised the importance of maintaining quality and brand for Vietnamese products in this market.

Vietnamese ministries and agencies should partner with the office to accelerate the organisation of the first meeting of the Inter-Governmental Committee on Economic, Trade and Investment Cooperation to seek solutions to move trade barriers, the office said.

The General Department of Customs' statistics showed that in the first nine months of 2022, Viet Nam exported 71,700 tonnes of coffee to Spain, earning $160.8 million, up 40.4 per cent in volume and 63.4 per cent in value on year, according to the Import-Export Department, the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

However, the coffee exports to this market reached 5,240 tonnes in September this year, worth US$13.1 million, down 14.4 per cent in volume and 7.1 per cent in value against the previous month.

The average export price of coffee in the first nine months of this year was $2,245 per tonne, up 16.7 per cent year-on-year.

Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, reported that Spain's coffee imports from non-EU supply in the first seven months of 2022 reached 165,730 tonnes, worth 524.1 million euros, up 17.4 per cent in volume and 100.8 per cent in value. Of which, Viet Nam was non-EU member country to have the largest supply for this market with a volume of 67,200 tonnes, according to the Import-Export Department. — VNS