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Vietnam’s agriculture conquers world markets

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(VOVWORLD) -In 2022 Vietnamese agricultural products entered the difficult markets of the EU, Japan, and the US. In this final program of 2022, we’ll tell you the story of Vietnam's bravery and wisdom in its campaign to export its agricultural products.

Vietnam’s agro-forestry-fishery export turnover in 2022 set a new record of 53.2 billion USD, up 9.3%. The export value of agricultural products reached 22.59 billion USD, rice 3.49 billion USD, and fruits and vegetables 3.34 billion USD. 

Strict process ensures that products are qualified for exports 

Ho Van Loi from the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre took care in carrying out the final biological spraying of his green-skinned pomelo garden. From flowering to harvest Loi’s pomelos must be kept free of harmful pests like yellow flies and stemborers. Loi said: "I’ve done my best to follow my partners’ guidelines and meet their requirements. I’ve been using biological products instead of chemicals to spray."

Nguyen Van Thai, Deputy Head of the Ben Tre pomelo cooperative, said: "We must adhere to the export regulations for dairy farming, spraying, and handling damaged produce."

Vietnam’s agriculture conquers world markets - ảnh 1Pomelos meet  standards for export to the United States. Photo: VOV

One month before harvesting, farmers and purchasing companies will use machines to check the sweetness of the pomelos. Farmers must balance the amount of fertilizer used in order to give the pomelos the degree of sweetness that meets the standard. Pomelos growers were thrilled when their first batch of pomelos was exported to the US.

Ben Tre farmers getting their green-skinned pomelos into the US market in November 2022 was the result of five years of transforming production to meet world standards.

The Chanh Thu Fruit Import-Export Company in Ben Tre was the focal enterprise for bringing green-skinned pomelos to the US market for the first time. In 2019 the company helped farmers export the first batch of Vietnamese mangoes to the US, and in 2020, the first batch of lychees to Japan. The company implemented a strict process to ensure that products were qualified to enter those difficult markets.

Vietnam’s agriculture conquers world markets - ảnh 2Delegates cut the ribbon to export the first batch of pomelos from Ben Tre province to the United States. Photo: VOV

US regulations require that pests and fallen fruit be removed before packing, and that the whole green-skinned pomelo be cleaned, waxed, irradiated, and given a phytosanitary certificate.

Ngo Tuong Vy, Deputy Director of the Chanh Thu Company, said: All markets have very strict regulations. I used to think that the Chinese market was easy, but it’s now more difficult than Australia's. Europe has developed the Global Gap standard. The US has its own standards, somewhat similar to Europe, but active ingredients have different content regulations. Right now, only the Chanh Thu company is allowed to export to the US market. We've been waiting for this for 6 years now."

The leaders of Chanh Thu company are well aware of the importance of seeking and developing the market. Vy continued: "Besides this first batch, we’re looking forward to increasing export to the US and other markets. If we can re-plan the raw material market and create big raw material areas, we can enter a bigger game — large US supermarket chains."

Vietnamese agricultural products exported through official channels to demanding markets indicates that Vietnam values positioning its national agricultural products more than pursuing quantity. Ms. Vy elaborated: "We have to be highly responsible for every single product given to the customers because it represents the image of our country. This is also the strategy that we always embrace."

New production methods, technonoly application 

Businesses’ guidelines and farmers’ willingness to adopt new production methods promoted Vietnam’s journey of green consumption for human health.

Vietnam’s agriculture conquers world markets - ảnh 3Huynh Van Thon, Chairman of Loc Troi Group. Photo: toquoc.vn


In 2022, Vietnam had 5 more agricultural products officially exported to large and demanding markets: durian and passion fruit to China, longan to Japan, pomelo to the US, and lemon and pamelo to New Zealand.

On September 2, 2022, the Vietnamese rice of Loc Troi Group, a leading Vietnamese provider of agricultural products and services, was sold for the first time in France’s supermarket chain E. Leclerc. This means Vietnamese rice has met the strict European standards.  

Drones have been used to spray pesticides. For years, Loc Troi Group has used digital maps to map large-scale fields, says Huynh Van Thon, Loc Troi’s Chairman.

“New directions for administration, management, and application of technology are quick to be in place. Vietnamese people are intelligent and brave. Using drones to replace human effort was an excellent decision.”

The use of bio-organic fertilizers has changed the rice fields dramatically. Spiders, ladybugs, and dragonflies – the natural enemies of crop pests – have returned. The soil has become more fertile.

Farmers have allied with enterprises to produce rice. Contracts are signed when crops are planted. Thon says the determination to export to large markets has encouraged farmers and businesses to refine the development process.

“By applying management standards for origin tracing, assigning growing area codes, and sustainable rice production practices, we’ve improved our rice brand and other agricultural brands. That helps farmers plan production and makes investment more efficient.”

Vietnam’s agriculture conquers world markets - ảnh 4Dr. Tran Duy Khanh, Director of the APEC Institute for Business Studies and Training. Photo: petrotimes.vn

Vietnam now has 5 hi-tech agricultural zones and 18 hi-tech agricultural regions.

Applying technology has created opportunities for Vietnamese farm produce to be exported and has rewarded the determination of Vietnamese farmers and enterprises to better themselves. Dr. Tran Duy Khanh, Director of the APEC Institute for Business Studies and Training, will tell us more about this.

Reporter: Dr. Tran Duy Khanh! How successful has the application of technology to agricultural production been so far?

Khanh: “Hi-tech agriculture in Vietnam is still new, but there have already been some successful models. The animal husbandry of Vinamilk, for example. All its grass fields are automatically irrigated. And the cow herds are automatically watered. Chips have been installed to track and control the entire process. Flower cultivation in Lam Dong province is another example. Da Lat flowers grown in greenhouses or net houses with automatic temperature control and irrigation are widely exported. This is an object lesson in successful high-tech application. High-tech is being successfully applied in Vietnam in agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, and processing.”

Reporter: How widespread is high-tech agriculture?

Khanh: I know many businesses that want to import advanced production lines. Farmers are changing their mindset. They now want to participate in the production chain from planting and harvesting to processing, exporting, and selling agricultural products to end-users. High-tech agriculture is inevitable in Vietnam, just as it has been for advanced countries around the world. Many models of applying high-tech to agricultural production have engaged the effort and will of people in all regions of Vietnam.

Reporter: What are the prospects of Vietnamese agriculture?

Khanh: Vietnamese agriculture has great potential, because Vietnam is a tropical country with flowers and fruits available in all four seasons. Our products are diverse all year round. We believe that in the future, when Vietnam has successfully applied high-tech to mass production, it will improve efficiency, create a breakthrough in farm produce, better satisfy the needs of society, and build a foundation for sustainable agriculture.  

Shift from selling what we have to selling what the markets want
Vietnam’s agriculture conquers world markets - ảnh 5Le Minh Hoan, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. Photo: VGP

At the closing ceremony of the 5th plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee in May, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said agriculture is one of Vietnam’s strengths and we must base our agricultural production and trade on science, technology, and innovation and develop both our domestic and export markets. Le Minh Hoan, Vietnam’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, talked to a VOV reporter about tapping the strength of Vietnamese agricultural products.

Reporter: Mr. Minister, what is your assessment of the production and export of Vietnamese agricultural products?

Minister: Vietnam has diversified its products and markets and now exports to some very demanding markets. We can guarantee the quality of Vietnamese agricultural products to those markets. Businesses and farmers have switched from selling what they have to selling what the market wants. Our exporting high-quality rice to the European market and the Japanese market shows that we are now more focused on quality than on quantity. We understand and focus on the requirements of each individual market, whether it’s the EU, Japan, or the US.

Reporter: Does this represent a change in production thinking, Minister?        

Minister: Changing our mindset we can change our life. Changing our approach, we can change our journey. Vietnamese businesses and farmers have expanded their agricultural production thinking to agricultural economic thinking. There has been a lot of research by scientists and a lot of thinking by associations and farmer organizations about how to create added value and capitalize on the trend of the agricultural economy. New agricultural models have sparked a new vitality. That’s the value of linking the State, the market, and  society, and between the State, agricultural enterprises, farmers, and cooperatives. 

Reporter: What are the Ministry’s orientations for building a harmonious, sustainable, multi-valued agriculture, Minister? 

Minister: Today, people judge agricultural products not only on their price and quality, but also on how their production processes affect the environment, biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, and climate change. At COP26 in October 2021 in the UK, Vietnam made a commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Vietnam wants a responsible and sustainable agriculture sector that participates in the global value chain and food supply system. These goals require concrete actions and responsibility on the part of producers, farmers, and businesses.

After decades of exporting to the most accessible markets, Vietnamese agricultural products are starting to assert their value in difficult markets. Through their efforts to integrate Vietnamese agricultural products globally, Vietnamese farmers and businesses are contributing to national prosperity and sustainable development. 

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