Vietnam Boosts Agricultural Exports to Africa

Rice is the main export

The demand for rice is potentially very high because its price is affordable by a majority of consumers. Rice is a popular food in daily meals here. Major rice suppliers for Africa are Thailand, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and the United States. Thailand is still the biggest rice supplier to this market with 50 percent of market share.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is considered an important gateway for exported rice because the UAE is the largest rice re-exporter in the world. The UAE re-exports rice and agricultural products not only to the Middle East and Africa but also to South Asian countries. Typically, trade exchanges and partner approaching are carried out at thematic trade fairs which are organised throughout the year, mainly in Dubai.

So as to boost rice export Africa, West Asia and South Asia, in 2015, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will continue to strengthen rice market information and trade promotion and study and build rice market development strategy until 2020. Particularly, Vietnam will negotiate and sign memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on rice trading with the Ivory Coast, Congo, Kenya, Angola, Mozambique, Madagascar and other nations. It will introduce customers, support businesses to verify partners, negotiate and sign contracts and settle emerging disputes, support them to set up companies and open bonded warehouses in key markets like Cameroon, Angola and Mozambique.

Promoting trade

To seek and expand investment and business cooperation opportunities with Vietnamese businesses, a Moroccan business delegation with 25 members, led by Mr Mohamed Abdou, Minister of Trade and Industry of Morocco, will pay a working to Vietnam from March 29 to April 1, 2015. The visitors express their desires to boost cooperation with Vietnamese companies in agriculture, seafood, metallurgy, engineering, electricity, construction materials, pharmacy, chemical, travel, high-grade handicrafts, information technology, telecommunications and general export and import. The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) will organise the "Vietnam - Morocco Business Forum” on March 30, 2015 in Hanoi.

Hanoi Trade Corporation (Hapro), a leading exporter and importer of agricultural products in Vietnam, is actively seeking export opportunities with Africa markets. Morocco is a new export market of Hapro, mainly copra, but its shipments to this market must be done through intermediaries. The corporation is working with some intermediaries to offer pepper and rice as well as contacting with Moroccan officials and businesses. On May 26, 2014, Hapro CEO Vu Thanh Son received Moroccan Ambassador to Vietnam Mr El Houcine Fardani and bank executive Saad ELMANJRA, who is also the owner of Bay to Bay Company. Saad ELMANJRA wants Bay to Bay Company and Hapro to be strategic partners of each other and want to set up a cashew nut processing company. He also introduced some products made from olive and argania - two typical natural ingredients used for traditional oil production of Morocco.

HAPRO’s executive said foreign companies desiring to export into this market must have representative offices, agents and native distributors because local agents and distributors can help exporters approach the market because they know language, culture and business practices.

Source: vccinews.com