Photo for illustration. (Source: vietnamnet.vn)
According to the Trade Office, every year, British businesses import a large amount of agricultural fruits and vegetables to meet the market’s consumption demand. In 2020, the UK imported more than 5.7 million tons of vegetables and fruits worth nearly 6.4 billion GBP (about 9 billion USD).
Of which, the amount of vegetables and fruits from Vietnam was worth 11,597,093 USD, accounting for only 0.18% of the market share.
Also in 2020, fruit imports into the UK reached 3.6 million tons, valued at 3.9 billion GBP (about 5.4 billion USD). Bananas made up the biggest proportion, accounting for 29.5% of total fruit imports, mainly imported from Colombia and Costa Rica. It is followed by grapes, accounting for 12%, mainly imported from South Africa and Spain; and oranges, tangerines and other citrus fruits mainly from Spain and Peru.
Rice imports into the UK in 2020 increased by 13.5% from 671,601 tons (in 2019) to 762,526 tons. Of which, rice imported from Vietnam reached 3,396 tons, valued at 1,295,000 USD, accounting for only 0.45% of the market share.
The UK is the third largest cashew importer and the second largest consumption market in Europe. In 2020, the market imported 23,000 tons of cashews, including over 16,000 tons from Vietnam, valued at 92 million USD, accounting for 71% of the market share.
The market imported 5,621 tons of pepper from Vietnam, worth more than 48 million USD, accounting for nearly 40% of the market share. It also imported 27,915 tons of coffee from Vietnam, valued at over 48 million USD, accounting for nearly 5%.
According to the Trade Office, the UK is a large market, but Vietnamese enterprises can only access this market if they practice production in accordance with GlobalGAP or EuroGAP, and apply international management standards such as ISO, SA and ILO.
In addition, Vietnamese businesses must be able to ensure a stable supply in both quantity and quality in order to develop sustainable cooperative relations with partners of the UK. In order to be able to establish a base and expand market share sustainably in the UK, besides strong competitors from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Africa and India, Mr. Nguyen Canh Cuong stressed that Vietnamese businesses must also have a suitable market access strategy.
“The Trade Office, with the support of local marketing experts, is ready to accompany Vietnamese businesses,” he added./.