March 11, 2011

Vietnam pushes Japanese farm, seafood trade  

A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ho Xuan Hung visited Japan last week to develop bilateral trade ties in the agriculture and aquaculture sectors.

Nearly 300 delegates attended the discussion and provided Vietnamese policy makers and businesses a good opportunity to listen to and understand more about the Japanese market, where there is a constant demand for quality goods.

Hung said in recent years Vietnam's farm, forestry, and aquatic industries developed strongly and used environmentally friendly methods that meet international quality and food hygiene standards.

They had been exporting their products to more than 160 countries and territories, he said.

Last year their exports were worth more than US$19.5 billion, nearly 25% up year on year.

Exports of Vietnamese agricultural and seafood products to Japan have increased in recent years but their share of the Japanese market remained modest, he said, also noting that bilateral trade remained well below potential.

Hung called on Japanese businesses to import more agricultural and seafood items from Vietnam and assist Vietnamese companies in marketing their products. Market analyst Nobuo Kato of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' Policy Research Institute said Vietnam's agricultural sector had great potential to develop but has some weakness like its small scale of production and poor processing technologies.

As a result, the country mainly exported raw products, he said.

"Japan can co-operate with Vietnam to help improve the country's agricultural sector," he added.

The Vietnamese delegation also met officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and business executives to discuss measures to strengthen co-operation and boost exports of farm and seafood produce to Japan.