Forum seeks ideas for lifting farm produce trade barriers

The Vietnam Food Forum 2019, themed “Vietnam’s agricultural products and food - Responding to trade barriers in integration”, was held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 13. The forum and its business matchmaking session are held annually on the sidelines of the Vietnam International Food Industry Exhibition (Vietnam Foodexpo).

The forum aimed to share information on non-tariff barriers in the international market and support Vietnamese businesses in adopting international standards and improving export added value.

This year’s forum drew the participation of high-level officials, representatives of domestic and international organizations, agricultural experts, business representatives, and media agencies.

The forum offered a chance for Vietnamese businesses and suppliers of agricultural products and food to meet with representatives of 20 purchasing groups and hypermarkets at home and abroad, such as Amazon, CJ, Lotte, Aeon, Central Group, MM Mega Market, Vinmart, Saigon Co.op, Hapro, and Satra, opening up opportunities to expand food and foodstuff supply chains.

Vietnamese businesses also had opportunities to work with consultants in product design and development, finance and e-commerce. The PAN Group, an investment company focusing on agriculture, food and services, introduced the complete Farm-Food-Family value chain and shared solutions to address trade barriers and successfully export to high-requirement markets. The group also has wholly owned subsidiaries and affiliated companies operating in the fields of agriculture and food, such as Bibica, Vinaseed, FimexVN, Aquatex Ben Tre, and Lafooco.

The forum is sponsored by Foods of Vietnam, a component of the Vietnam Value program. Foods of Vietnam is assigned by the government, under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, to team up with relevant ministries, agencies and enterprises to develop brands which have export strength and competitiveness, focusing on value promotion for the Vietnamese food industry.

Foods of Vietnam will implement communication campaigns to promote Vietnam’s food industry and its sub-sectors through media channels and trade promotion events inside and outside the country.