Ngoc Hung
Cao Duc Phat speaks at a meeting with overseas Vietnamese entrepreneurs in HCMC on Monday - PHOTO: TRAN HAI
Speaking at a meeting with OV business people in HCMC on Monday, Phat said the country could produce international-standard agricultural items but had long exported mainly semi-processed products at low prices due to difficulties in finding markets.
Phat said Vietnam’s annual rice output has jumped by one million tons and the volumes of tra fish, thanh long (dragon fruit) and other farm produce have risen in recent years.
“Farmers can increase their yields if they find good markets. So we expect you to help export agricultural products to more markets,” Phat said.
Vietnamese-Canadian Dinh Kim Nguyet said Vietnamese agricultural product exporters would have many opportunities to tap into this North American market and earn more profit if they meet food safety criteria.
Nguyet said a mango and a hand of bananas cost some C$30 and C$40 respectively, which are much higher than in Vietnam.
Vu Thi Mai, a Vietnamese entrepreneur in Russia, said Russian consumers prefer tropical fruit including from Vietnam, but enterprises find it hard to earn profit when selling to Russia due to high transport cost. The main reason is that Vietnamese fruit must be transported by air with an average charge of around US$6 per kilogram.
Mai proposed Vietnam improve post-harvest technology to lengthen the storage of fruit for export to the markets far from Vietnam.
Phat said the ministry is working with Japanese companies for post-harvest technology transfer to keep fruit and vegetables fresh longer.
“We have been aware of post-harvest shortcomings for years and expect that these will be addressed soon,” Phat said.
The minister pledged simple administrative procedures and favorable conditions for investors in the agricultural sector.
Đăng ký: VietNam News
