Vietnamese products penetrate series of export markets

Export of agriculture, forestry and fishery products has made a remarkable contribution, bringing impressive export results in 2020. Photo: N.Thanh

Diversifying and exploiting new markets, in addition to exploiting traditional export markets continues to be the key direction in 2021 to maintain good export momentum.

Timely rotation

The Ministry of Industry and Trade saidthat, especially in 2020, the import-export market has been expanded, not only strengthened in traditional markets, but also exploited new potential markets and effectively utilizedFree Trade Agreements (FTAs).

Vietnam's exported goods have reached most world markets. Many products have gradually gained a firm foothold and improved their competitiveness in many markets with high quality requirements such as the EU, Japan, the US andAustralia.

Looking back at the export market in the difficult context of 2020, the Ministry of Industry and Trade stated that from the first months of the year, when the pandemic startedin China, the Ministry of Industry and Trade proposed and advised the Prime Minister to issue Official Telegram No. 224 / CD-TTg dated February 12, 2020 on clearing import-export activities through a number of land border gates with China.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has also coordinated with the Ministry of Health and localities to develop a customs clearance management process to ensure good disease control; actively communicate with leaders of local ministries in China to increase customs clearance time, supplement manpower for loading and unloading,thereby helping border trade activities be deployed more smoothly. Since Vietnam's export goods were stagnant in large volume, it was basically clear after that.

Then, when the pandemicspread in Korea, Japan and then the EU, the US and rest of the world, under the direction of the Government, the Prime Minister, the Ministry Industry and Trade, ministries and agencies have actively worked out plans to remove immediate difficulties, ensure good supply for domestic production and open up the export market.

Notably, Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh said that the National Assembly has completed the ratification of the Vietnam - EU FTA (EVFTA) and the Vietnam - EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) in the monthly meeting inJune to be put into effect in August. Right after the EVFTA took effect, the results were quite positive.

In terms of numbers, in 2020, Vietnam mainly export surplus to developed countries with strict quality requirements for imported goods such as the United States (trade surplus is nearlyUS$62.7 billion); EU (trade surplus is nearlyUS$20.3 billion).

Particularly for the EU market, for the whole of 2020, exports reachedUS$34.94 billion, down 2.3% compared to 2019 due to the effects of the pandemic.

However, after five months of implementing the EVFTA, exports to the EU market reached about US$15.38 billion, an increase of about 1.6% over the same period in 2019. Many export products of Vietnam have had positive changes in the EU market after the EVFTA was implemented, typically seafood andrice.

Mentioningflexibility and market rotation to solve problems for export, typically in the agricultural sector. Mr. Hoang Van Tu, representative of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Vietnam, saidthat by 2020, Vietnam will increase its agricultural export turnover while other countries decreased,which shows that Vietnam has taken advantage of the opportunity, proactively dominated and expanded the export market of agricultural products to the world.

“According to the FAO's assessment, while the whole world is in crisis and the supply chain is broken, Vietnam still maintains the export of essential agricultural products to the world, especially to Africa, China, Philippines and poor countries,thereby, the world looks at Vietnam with admiration, not only for its achievements in poverty reduction, but also for ensuring political security, food security and world peace,” Mr. Hoang Van Tu said.

Diversify and utilize small-scale markets

In 2021, the Industry and Trade sector aims for an increase in total export turnover of about 4-5% compared to 2020, the trade balance continues to maintain a trade surplus. In order to continue to extend the impressive results of 2020, the solution to the export market is an important factor.

This ministry determined that it would continue to exploit and take advantage of opportunities from FTAs to find solutions to develop markets and remove barriers to penetrate new markets; continue to closely monitor the movements of the Covid-19 pandemicto take timely measures.

Notably, the head of the Industry and Trade sector emphasized that the Ministry of Industry and Trade prioritizes the implementation of export promotion activities and the export markets soon recover; focus on closely monitoring the situation of each market to review and identify types of goods that countries are in need of importing to exploit and promote exports; diversifying markets and structure of export products.

Regardingagricultural products, Minister Tran Tuan Anh said that the Ministry of Industry and Trade is cooperating with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related units to diversify forms of trade promotion to access export markets,prioritize the implementation of national projects on trade promotion and export promotion activities for key markets.

The Ministry also strengthened propaganda and dissemination of information about export promotion opportunities to Asia-Pacific, EU, ASEAN, Australia, New Zealand, as well asagricultural, forestry and aquatic products to effectively exploit the benefits from FTAs.

“Along with that, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will work closely with ministries, agencies and localities to effectively implement a traceability system for trade promotion for agricultural products, helping farmers boost consumption of goods with a large volume and higher added value in the domestic market as well as for export,"said the leaderof the Industry and Trade sector.