Economic diplomacy: Get more Vietnamese fruit into the Thai market

On November 2, the Vietnamese Economic and Commercial Office in Thailand held the Vietnam Fruit Trade Promotion Forum with the Vietnamese Fruit and Vegetable Association in a combination of online and offline ways in Bangkok, capital of Thailand.

Representatives of Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and many enterprises from both countries attended the forum.

Nguyen Thanh Binh, president of the Vietnamese Fruit and Vegetable Association, said fruit now accounts for 14.3 per cent of the value of Vietnam's agricultural products, and exports account for 10-20 per cent of total export output. Vietnam exports fruit to more than 70 countries and regions around the world. Big markets such as China, the United States and Japan are opening their markets to high-quality Vietnamese fruits such as durian, green pomelo, passion fruit and bananas.

Currently, fruits account for 14.3 percent of the total value of Vietnam's agricultural products, and exports account for 10 to 20 percent of total export output.

Ms. Le Thi Mei Ying from the Department of Asian and African Markets of the Ministry of Industry and Trade said Vietnam and Thailand have great cooperation potential in the fields of agricultural products, vegetables and fruits. The two sides should further promote investment and cooperation in high-tech agriculture, organic agriculture and processing, and integrate agricultural products into each country's retail system. In addition, the two sides may consider cooperation in the production chain and supply chain construction of agricultural products, fresh vegetables and fruits, so as to promote exports to third countries and thus enhance the status of Vietnamese and Thai goods in the global supply chain.

Nguyen Cheng Hui, commercial attache of the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand, said Vietnamese products, such as coffee, fruit (lychee, pomelo, dragon fruit), handicrafts and other products, have been increasingly favored by Thai customers in recent years. But the market for these products has not been fully tapped.

Nguyen suggested that Vietnamese enterprises study the specific needs of each market in detail, master the consumption habits of consumers, in order to make appropriate adjustments to their products, and then increase the sales of their products in the Thai market.

Paul Le, vice president of Central Retail (Vietnam), a unit of Thailand's Central Group, said Vietnam has a long coastline and four seasons in the north, which allows temperate fruits to be grown, while the south is suitable for tropical fruits.

Vietnamese fruits are rich in variety and taste good. Viet Nam could improve packaging technology to diversify its fruit processing products. Also, it is a very good idea to hold a Vietnamese fruit festival in Thailand.

Thailand has built an East-West economic corridor and is using it to transport goods to China via Vietnam, Ms Lai said. This is a favorable cooperation opportunity for logistics companies of the two countries.