Vietnamese products introduced to French consumers

Friday, 05/11/2021 16:10
A Vietnamese consumer goods week has been organized at the Carrefour supermarket in Collégien city of France to introduce Vietnamese products to French consumers in particular and those in Europe in general.

At the opening ceremony (Photo: VNA)

The program is an initiative of Carrefour Group and T&T Foods Company with the support of the Vietnam Trade Office in France, said the VNA.

In his speech at the event, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien highly valued the initiative, saying that this event helps more French consumers know about Vietnamese goods, and that Carrefour is not only a goods distribution channel but also a channel for introducing Vietnamese culinary culture.

He underlined the significance of the event for Carrefour to develop a potential market segment for consumers with a taste for Asian products.

The minister expressed his belief that based on good trade relations between Vietnam and France, France’s position as the 4th largest trading partner of Vietnam in the European Union (EU), plus an effective leverage from the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), consumers of the Carrefour system in France in particular and Europe in general will have opportunities to access diverse and quality Vietnamese goods at reasonable prices.

For his part, CEO of Carrefour Rami Baitieh emphasized the interest and appreciation of French customers for Vietnamese food, revealing that Carrefour plans to add 50 more Vietnamese products to the Carrefour system each year.

The Vietnam goods week abroad is an annual event organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade at various supermarket chains around the world such as Central Retail and MM Megamarket in Thailand, Big C in France, Metro in Germany, Aeon in Japan, Emart in the Republic of Korea, and Coop Mart in Italy.

This is one of main activities within the framework of a project the ministry has implemented since 2015 to help connect Vietnamese exporters with major distribution systems in the world.

Established in 1959 in Annecy, France Carrefour is a French economic group specializing in supermarkets. The firm is currently one of the world's leading retailers, with its supermarket system expanded to many countries in Europe, South America, and Asia.

Vietnamese Innovation Network in Europe established

The establishment of the Vietnamese Innovation Network in Europe (VINEU) was recently announced at a ceremony held in Paris.

Co-organised by the National Innovation Centre (NIC) under Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Vietnamese Embassy in France, the event took place both in person and via videoconference to acknowledge the operation of the non-profit organisation, which was set up in Berlin, Germany, on October 16.

The design of the National Innovation Centre (Photo: VNA)

As the fifth sub-network of the Vietnamese Innovation Network (VIN), which has to date grouped more than 1,000 members in 20 nations, VINEU works to connect Vietnamese intellectuals and experts in promoting innovation activities between Vietnam and European nations, reported the VNA.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Chi Dung, who initiated the establishment of VIN, recommended its members actively build the intellectual network based on cooperation with Vietnamese embassies and students’ associations overseas.

The network should also boost connectivity with big research institutes and universities in Europe in order to introduce scholarships for Vietnamese students, the minister said.

Forming close ties with large European firms, particularly in technology, and investment funds are also important, he added.

NIC director Vu Quoc Huy said the centre will continue to sponsor and support VINEU operations in the time to come.

Ample room for Vietnamese tropical fruits to export to EU market

An increase in the import value of tropical Vietnamese fruits in recent years shows a growing interest among European consumers.

Certification for organic products, along with improved packaging, all of which will be shipped by air to increase the best shelf life of the items, will be some of the advantages for local fruit items.

Photo for illustration (Source: kenh14.vn)

The import value of fresh litchi, passion fruit, star fruit, and dragon fruit increased by 40% over the past five years to reach EUR142 million euros in 2019, while other tropical fruits grew by 21% to reach a total value of EUR202 million in 2019, said the VOV.

According to information collected by the Vietnam Trade Office in Belgium and the EU, consumers in the bloc are increasingly interested in imported fruits, with the majority of these items being imported into Nordic nations.

Tropical fruits that are increasingly popular within the EU include pomegranate, passion fruit, lychee, dragon fruit, rambutan, and star fruit.

In the retail sector, fresh fruit has always played an important role due to many retailers using tropical varieties to differentiate them and make a variety of fruit in stalls appear more appealing.

As recommended by the trade agency, it is important for tropical fruit exporters to have an attractive product and be able to provide high-quality products.

Most notably, fruit exporters to the EU must meet consumer expectations in order to have a healthy, clean, sustainable, and pesticide-free product.

Once the quality of fruit is consistently guaranteed, it will help products reach a wider array of customers after being transferred from specialised distribution channels to supermarkets and retailers in general.

The trade office also suggested that exporters make use of smart fruit preservation technologies in a bid to reduce food waste and prevent infectious diseases.

Since some Latin American and Asian countries such as Colombia and Vietnam enjoy a rich supply of tropical fruits, in order to compete, exporters must be able to supply high-quality products at specific times of the year. This is in addition to finding buyers who are familiar with the product's unique characteristics and market segments.

As a means of making greater inroads into the EU market, tropical fruit exporters must fully comply with general requirements for fresh fruit and vegetables.

Pesticide residue is one of the key issues faced by fruit and vegetable suppliers. Indeed, if tropical fruits contain more pesticides than permissible level or contaminants, such as heavy metals, then they will be immediately withdrawn from the market, the trade office warned.

Currently, major retailers in some EU member states such as Germany, the Netherlands, and Austria, make use of more stringent maximum residue levels (MRLs) than those set out in EU law.

Thieu litchi is exported to EU (Photo: nongnghiep.vn)

However, other channels, such as wholesalers and food services, pay more attention to the appearance and taste of products and follow general EU guidelines.

Therefore, exporters must look into relevant MRLs for tropical products by consulting the EU's MRL database.

Furthermore, during the production process it is necessary to reduce the amount of pesticides by applying integrated pest management (IPM) in production, as this represents an agricultural pest control strategy that includes the practice of farming and chemical management.

Exporters are required to strictly follow phytosanitary regulations, with exported fruit products must possessing a phytosanitary certificate before being brought into the EU.

Moreover, it remains necessary to maintain high-quality standards as well as paying close attention to the preservation of safe and intact products during the transportation and handling process in a bid to ensure that the fruit is in good condition in the export market.

55.8 percent of public investment capital disbursed in 10 months

Over 257.3 trillion VND (11.1 billion USD) in public investment capital were disbursed as of late October, or 55.8 percent of the target assigned by the Prime Minister, reported the Finance Ministry.

The figure was lower than that recorded in the same period last year (67.25 percent). Of which, 52.41 percent were domestic capital and 15.29 percent were foreign one.

Photo for illustration (Source: CPV)

Statistics from the ministry showed that seven ministries and 20 localities recorded high disbursement with over 65 percent. Up to 32 out of 50 ministries and 21 out of 63 localities disbursed below 50 percent while 20 ministries and four localities reported under 30 percent.

The ministry attributed that to difficulties in material supply caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially imported ones, the shortage of construction workers, and social distancing that hindered the assessment of projects via information technology system.

Other causes included obstacles in site clearance, bidding and construction as well as rising prices of construction materials.

In order to hasten disbursement, the ministry asked ministries, agencies and localities to follow the Government’s Resolution No.63/NQ-CP dated June 29, 2021; the Prime Minister’s Dispatch No.7036/CD-VPCP dated September 30, 2021 on effective pandemic prevention and control measures, and acceleration of public investment capital disbursement for socio-economic development.

They were also urged to complete the allocation of detailed capital for new construction projects in accordance with the PM’s Decision No.1535/QD-TTg dated September 15, 2021./.

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