Agricultural products - national image

Proud of Vietnamese agricultural products

As a country with strengths in agriculture, Vietnam has recently gradually introduced this product to international friends. During the reception of former US President Obama in May 2016, the late President Tran Dai Quang presented him with a stylized box shaped like a bronze drum containing rice seeds. Or more commonly, coffee boxes, often chosen by our country's embassies to thank partners with whom they have business relationships.

The world is experiencing many challenges, from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical conflicts to global issues such as climate change and epidemics, making food security even more important. In that context, agricultural trade has become a common concern in many countries.

In November 2021, during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to Japan, the former Prime Minister of Japan, Suga Yoshihide, and Chairman of the Japan - Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance Nikai Toshihiro, presented the head of the Vietnamese Government with Unshu mandarins as a token of gratitude for Vietnam's acceleration of the import licensing process for this agricultural product.

Previously, within the framework of the 2023 Vietnam - Hau Giang International Rice Festival, Minister Le Minh Hoan also expressed his concerns about the rice value chain and called on relevant parties to have flexible adaptations to not only create high-quality products but also contribute to creating a stable and peaceful ecosystem.

With coffee - another strong agricultural product of Vietnam, the agricultural industry leader also pondered, "Where is Vietnamese coffee on the world map?" even though our country's productivity is 3 times higher than the global average.

Europe, considered the most demanding market in the world, is increasingly favoring Vietnamese agricultural products. According to the Import-Export Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade), since the EVFTA took effect on August 1, 2020, agricultural exports to the EU have increased by an average of 15% per year, continuously for 4 years. In addition to taking advantage of tariff incentives on origin, agricultural products such as ST25 rice, dragon fruit, and Hoa Loc mango are popular in many European countries. If you ask European consumers, "What is the best rice in the world?", ST25 will surely be among the answers.

Breakthrough from protocols

Signing protocols with the traditional Chinese market significantly contributes to the miracle of agricultural exports. Until now, Vietnam and the other side have had more than 20 protocols and memorandums of understanding on importing and exporting agricultural, forestry, and fishery products.

This activity has been focused on and promoted recently. Notably, in 2022, the two sides signed 4 protocols on piloting the export of passion fruit and quarantine of fresh durian, bananas, and sweet potatoes. Most recently, the two sides signed 2 more protocols on quarantine of frozen durian and coconut.

However, completing the protocol signing procedures requires much time and effort. Taking the example of the recently signed protocol on quarantine of frozen durian, Director of the Plant Protection Department Huynh Tan Dat informed that the Vietnamese side has proactively researched and reviewed the needs of domestic enterprises for this product in parallel with the process of negotiating and signing the protocol on quarantine of fresh fruit (signed in 2022). By March 2023, based on the wishes of enterprises of the two countries, the Plant Protection Department officially proposed opening the market for frozen durian products. Two months later, the Department sent all relevant information to the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) to conduct a pest risk analysis.

After many rounds of technical negotiations, at the end of 2023, the two sides drafted the Protocol and sought comments from relevant ministries, localities and organizations. By May 2024, the two sides had agreed on the protocol's contents. Finally, on August 19, 2024, during the State visit of General Secretary and President To Lam, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and GACC officially signed the protocol to open the door for this item.

From the time of the initial proposal to the official license to export to China, frozen durian waited about a year and a half. That is a relatively fast time compared to some other agricultural products. Still, looking back at the entire preparation process from proposing fresh products, it took 5-6 years.

As a World Trade Organization (WTO) member, Vietnam must comply with the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement) whenever it imports or exports a new agricultural product. There, the importing country will require an assessment of pest risks and technical measures to prevent, avoid, and handle these risks. This step requires meticulousness and takes much time to complete the dossier. This process lasts from 6 months to 1 year, or even longer.

After the importing country recognizes the dossier's validity, they will assess the pest risk. Some agricultural products have about 20-30 types of harmful organisms, but there are also items with a list of harmful organisms of up to 100-200 types. The more pests in the dossier, the more time it takes to review and re-evaluate, along with the increased number of treatment measures for each pest. The importing country can even send experts to evaluate and inspect the situation if necessary.

Taking off from restructuring

The proud achievements mentioned above are based on the Project on Restructuring the Agricultural Sector towards Increasing Added Value and Sustainable Development approved by the Prime Minister in Decision 899/2012/QD-TTg. The project emphasizes the focus on exploiting and making good use of the advantages of tropical agriculture, building large-scale specialized areas, and perfecting the institutions for market-oriented agricultural development.

Eight years later, the Prime Minister continued to approve the Agricultural Restructuring Plan for the 2021 - 2025 period in Decision 255/2021/QD-TTg. In particular, it emphasized restructuring towards sustainable development, improving agricultural products' quality, added value, and competitiveness. The plan also clearly stated that the agricultural sector needs to focus on promoting the development of modern production, adapting to climate change, and connecting sustainably with the global agricultural value chain.

Director of the Department of Crop Production Nguyen Nhu Cuong acknowledged that Decision 255 has targeted the issue of organizing production in the new situation. Instead of issuing specialized plans for each product, the new phase plan has structured agricultural products into 3 main groups. These are the national key product group, provincial key product group, and local specialty product group.

To build a solid brand of “agricultural export” for the country’s agriculture, Director Nguyen Nhu Cuong said it is necessary to “build from the foundation.” First, it is essential to ensure stability in quantity, uniformity in quality, and consistency in price. From there, businesses and management agencies coordinate to expand the consumption market, creating a prestigious, competitive product bearing the identity of Vietnamese agricultural products.