Business matching event seeks to boost pepper trading with France

Vietnamese and French businesses discuss partnership chances at the networking event in Paris (Photo: VNA)

The Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA) recently coordinated with the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Vietnamese Embassy in France to hold a business matching event in Paris to boost pepper trading.

The event on October 14, part of the national trade promotion programme of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, attracted nearly 20 major producers and exporters from Vietnam and 30 spice importers, wholesalers, and retailers from France.

Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang told the participants that all-level authorities of the two countries are ready to assist producers and companies of both sides to maintain trade flows and supply chains and exert every effort for post-pandemic recovery and even and sustainable development.

VPA Chairwoman Hoang Thi Lien said France is an important market, which buys 10% of Vietnam’s total pepper exports to the EU.

France is also considered a “filter” because if major pepper exporters of Vietnam can connect with large importers and distributors of France, aside from consolidating their brands, their products can further made inroads into the potential EU market, she noted.

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency, Arnaud Vincent, CEO of a pepper and spice company of France, said Vietnamese pepper has long been known and its quality has been improving.

For his part, Grégoire Courme, a representative of Aromatum, held that Vietnam’s pepper industry holds many advantages as the country is a leading pepper producer in the world, the quality of its products is becoming better, and Vietnamese companies have been growing strongly.

On this occasion, the VPA is taking part in SIAL Paris 2022 from October 15 to 19, with eight pepper and spice enterprises of Vietnam displaying their products at this international food trade show.

In recent years, Vietnam has emerged as the world’s leading pepper producer as it accounts for nearly 30% of global output and 50% of global exports.

Data from Eurostat show that the proportion of Vietnamese pepper in France’s imports rose to 40.81% in 2021 from 37.61% in 2020. France is one of the largest pepper importers in the world./.