Possible congestion in the Chinese market

Mr. Le Thanh Tung, Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said that by the end of the year, our country's fruit output could be 700,000 tons. If the Lunar New Year is taken into account, it is more than 1.7 million tons. According to Mr. Tung, in the first quarter of 2022, the consumption of fruit tree products in the southern provinces may face some difficulties. Specifically, if the Covid-19 epidemic continues to develop complicatedly, it may affect consumption and export. The requirements for quality and traceability of export markets are increasing day by day. In particular, the Chinese market may increase disease control measures further, which may slow down the export progress, cause congestion at the border gate... In fact, in the past few days, it has happened. the phenomenon of congestion of agricultural products for export, of which most are fruits, at Lang Son border gates.

Sharing the same opinion, Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said that the difficulties that the fruit and vegetable industry is facing are the Covid-19 epidemic, which has caused the export process to be blocked, and the growth of the fruit and vegetable industry. level off compared to before. Specifically, businesses have difficulties when renting ships, renting containers, etc., causing a stagnation of vegetables and fruits. Furthermore, “according to our information, China intends to suspend imports for at least six weeks during the Lunar New Year holiday, which may increase supply chain disruptions,” Nguyen said.

It is necessary to continue to step up the assessment and grant of planting area codes to facilitate fruit export. Photo: Bich Nguyen

Another difficulty that Mr. Nguyen raised is that due to the lack of deep processing, it is difficult for Vietnamese fruits and vegetables to serve markets with large geographical distances by means of cheap transportation. Besides, the vegetables we produce have many varieties that coincide with China. Moreover, our orchards produced according to VietGAP standards are few, leading to businesses having difficulty in sourcing raw materials for export.

Ms. Vu Kim Hanh, Chairman of the Association of High Quality Vietnamese Products, also expressed concern that in the near future, China will stop importing fruit products on the occasion of the fruit harvest season. best in Vietnam. In the condition that domestic fruit processing capacity is still limited, mainly exporting fresh fruit, so when the export market faces difficulties, it will cause a lot of losses.

Need to improve product quality

Hanh said that because China is the most important fruit import market of Vietnam, it is necessary to produce according to the standards and standards required by the Chinese market, including GlobalGAP.

According to Mr. Dinh Viet Tu, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Product Processing and Market Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in order to develop and improve economic efficiency for the fruit and vegetable industry, it is necessary to restructure production, processing and markets. according to a chain of 3 product groups: aquatic products, rice, and fruits, in which priority is given to key products and high-quality products. In addition, authorities need to develop plans to increase quality, reduce costs, enhance deep processing and expand markets, as well as build a chain-based agricultural product supply system based on logistics. modern.

“We also need to find new areas to increase value, and localities should create a processing industry associated with production and markets by building concentrated raw material areas and diversifying products. , developing supporting industries and logistics", suggested Mr. Dinh Viet Tu.

Discussing solutions to promote fruit and vegetable export, Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen emphasized the need to promote propaganda to produce according to VietGAP standards, link cooperatives to improve production efficiency, and negotiate to improve production efficiency. expanding the list of imported products to China, the US, Japan... According to Mr. Nguyen, the specialized agencies of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development should study and transfer more new varieties of high-quality fruit trees. , easy to cultivate…

China is Vietnam's largest market for fresh durian consumption, but it is mainly for informal export, while official export is still in the process of negotiation. Photo: Thu Huong

With China's increase in agricultural import regulations, the latest is Order 248 and 249 from January 1, 2022, the Chinese market is no longer "easygoing" as before. Commodities and agricultural products imported into China today are very demanding not only in terms of quality, but also in design, packaging, and packing specifications, especially China pays great attention to the planting area codes. This requirement is mandatory for goods from all countries, not just Vietnam. In particular, the door to small-scale exports across the border will close. Therefore, in order to export sustainably to this huge market, Vietnamese enterprises need to develop growing area codes to meet the requirements of traceability, ensuring transparency and safety for agricultural products.

Mr. Le Thanh Tung, Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development recommends that localities need to firmly grasp the output and quality of fruit trees in their area, in order to have long-term forecasts on all issues. promptly provide information for purchasing and consuming businesses to have an early connection plan.

In addition, localities need to continue to step up the assessment and grant of planting area codes, develop specific consumption plans, connect businesses to purchase fruits; Promote the preservation, processing and digitization of agricultural products to develop long-term consumption plans for many years...

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