Aquatic products are brought ashore in Cai Rong Port of Van Don district,
Quang Ninh province. Photo: VNA
At a meeting of the agriculture ministry’s steering board for farm produce
market development on January 31, Nam stressed the need to remove technical
barriers in the US and the EU, pay more attention to neighbouring niche markets
and boost exports to India and the Middle East.
In 2018, the sector is pressing on with agricultural restructuring with
priorities given to developing national signature products, local signature
products and the one-village-one-product programme. It will also build value
chains for key products to seek suitable markets while enhancing the production
of goods with high export potential like shrimp and fruit, he noted.
He asked agencies to address difficulties relating to regulations against
illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) in the US and the EU and
regulations on tra fish in the US’s Farm Bill. They also need to use technical
and diplomatic assets to keep Vietnamese aquatic products’ market share in these
markets.
Nguyen Quoc Tri, Director General of the ministry’s Vietnam Administration of
Forestry, said the country will soon sign a Forest Law Enforcement Governance
and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreement with the EU to speed up wood exports
to this market.
Agencies will also enhance trade cooperation, harmonise regulations on forestry
product origin management with those of the Republic of Korea, Australia and
Russia, and bolster cooperation in forestry and herbal material trade with
China. Afforestation will be boosted to increase timber supplies and reduce
timber imports.
While pork value chains and disease-free animal farming areas will be developed,
agencies will work to export more chicken meat and eggs, officials said.
They added agencies will also strengthen marketing strong products of Vietnam
like fruit, vegetables, rice and aquatic and animal products in potential
markets.
In 2017, Vietnam raked in 36.37 billion USD from agro-forestry-fisheries export,
up more than 4 billion USD from the previous year.
Source: VNA