US keen to promote export of farm produce to Vietnamese market

The remarks were made at a ceremony held on March 18 to mark the launch of the United Tastes programme, during which, Marie C. Damour, US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, highlighted agricultural trade exchange as a crucial part of bilateral relations due to its remarkable growth over the past 25 years. Indeed, the US possesses a unique and rich culinary culture which adequately reflects the identities of several communities and ethnicities.

The United Tastes programme is anticipated to serve as a bridge for citizens from both countries to share their culinary culture whilst supporting US farmers, fishermen, breeders, and food companies. This will be done whilst simultaneously introducing high-quality farm produce from the US to Vietnamese consumers, she noted.

Robert Hanson, agricultural attaché of the US Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, revealed that the past decade has seen the nation consistently achieve positive GDP growth, thereby making it one of the fastest growing economies in Asia. In line with this, US agricultural exports to the country have increased by 40% over the past five years, reaching US$3.7 billion last year. 

At present, Vietnam is the seventh largest market for US farm produce, with major products including soybeans, corn, pork, and beef, while the US has also boosted the export of items such as apples, blueberries, and raw materials used in cakes, Hanson stressed.

The US trade official pointed out that Vietnamese people are now earning higher incomes and are increasingly keen on safe and healthy food products which have a clear origin, adding that they have the habit of making use of social media in order to closely monitor the market and shape consumption trends.

Most notably, the modern retail channel in the country over recent years has grown strongly as increasing numbers of local people shop at supermarkets and head to restaurants to enjoy food.

Hanson said apart from diverse agricultural products such as grapes, apples, beef, and seafood, consumers can also have access to the full information from the farming and processing procedure for products which originate from this market.

Quach Van Hoa, business deputy director of the Alaska Guys Vietnam Co., Ltd, stressed that Vietnamese people are now willing to pay high prices in order to obtain high-quality food, adding that seafood products from the US in the high-end segment have witnessed strong consumption in the local market over recent years.

Hoa also expressed his hope that importers and distributors will enjoy a range of incentives in terms of tax and policies that can serve to promote trade exchanges between the two countries, whilst creating additional opportunities for Vietnamese consumers to gain access to high-quality products.