Gia Lai agro-products making full use of the EVFTA

Another turbulent year due to Covid-19 has significantly affected production and business activities. With great efforts, businesses in Gia Lai province have overcome difficulties and fundamentally completed the annual plan.

Dong Giao Foodstuff JSC - Gia Lai branch (Doveco Gia Lai) is one such unit.

Like many other businesses, Doveco Gia Lai cannot avoid certain impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic. The company however still ensures to maintain production and business activities along with epidemic prevention procedures.

Mr. Dinh Van Tinh, Standing Deputy Director of Doveco Gia Lai Factory, said, "As Gia Lai controls Covid-19 relatively well, the company's raw material procurement is not affected too much, and the supply remains secure.

“However, during the time when some areas in the province apply Directive 16, traffic and transportation suffered interruption because drivers have to acquire a negative rapid test result and some paperwork for fixed routes, causing delays to the plan. Production materials and supplies from other provinces are also affected in terms of time and cost. But in general there is no great influence on the unit’s production and business activities.”

In the case of Vinh Hiep Co., Ltd, the company currently owns 300 ha of coffee for business. The entire area is qualified for all certifications, ensuring the quality of exports to the most demanding markets such as the USA and the EU.

In the first months of the year until the peak period of the pandemic, the company faced several difficulties in exportation such as lack of ships, lack of containers or lack of labor. Even so the company still overcame the hardship and secure its production and business plans.

Mr. Thai Nhu Hiep, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Vinh Hiep Co., Ltd, stated that the current picture of consumption is by no means bad. The company's products always ensure quality for exportation to European markets under the EVFTA.

According to Mr. Hiep, from the beginning of 2021 up to now, the company has exported over 100,000 tons of coffee products of all kinds to the European market. The company plans to export another 10,000 tons in the last month of 2021.

The export situation of Vinh Hiep Co., Ltd was slowed down at some point due to the developments of the Covid-19 epidemic, leading to a lack of means of transport and labor. Contrary to this hardship, the company’s plan is still guaranteed and employees' lives are still well taken care of.

“The most difficult thing at the moment is that the harvest season has come but the harvest workers are nowhere to be found. The pandemic has left workers in the delta provinces unable to go to the Central Highlands to harvest coffee like the years before. Coffee theft is also a major headache as the situation escalated complicatedly, affecting the quality of coffee beans. If this situation is not managed well, matters concerning exportation will be severely affected in the future," said Mr. Thai Nhu Hiep.