Vietnamese consumers do not have the conditions to contact and access high quality agricultural products.

Assessing the quality of agricultural products, Ms. Trinh Huyen Mai - Deputy Head of the Department of Policy - Trade Promotion, Department of Trade Promotion, Ministry of Industry and Trade - said that in recent times, the quality of Vietnamese agricultural products has significantly improved to meet the needs of the market which is increasingly more demanding, more diverse, more meticulous about food safety, about form, design, packaging and about the quality of service provided.

However, according to Ms. Mai, the factor of product information transparency is also very important. Recently, cooperatives and processing enterprises have been granted growing area codes, origin traceability codes, and have applied VietGap and GlobalGap programs to their products. However, looking at the overall picture, the rate is still limited and small compared to the majority of floating agricultural products, of unknown origin, or product information is still sketchy and incomplete, making it difficult for consumers to verify the information. Meanwhile, the cost of consumption for quality, verified products is very high compared to conventional products.

“ The lack of transparency in product information is a factor that negatively affects the healthy competition of the market. For example, manufacturers do not have the pressure to do things right and according to standards; when manufacturers do things right and according to standards, they lack the motivation to maintain quality, ” Ms. Mai commented, adding that for consumers, they either have to pay more for products that are not known to be safe or cleaner than advertised, or gradually lose confidence in Vietnamese agricultural products. That invisibly reduces the competitiveness of Vietnamese agricultural products in the domestic market compared to imported products.

It is also acknowledged that although Vietnamese agricultural products are considered to be of high quality by many markets, and Vietnam's major export markets such as the US, Japan, and Europe are demanding markets, according to Mr. Nguyen Minh Tien - Director of the Agricultural Trade Promotion Center (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), Vietnamese consumers do not have the conditions to contact and access high-quality agricultural products. This is partly due to the orientation of the enterprises themselves and stems from a number of reasons.

According to Mr. Tien, currently, most large enterprises trading agricultural products, especially high-value agricultural products, focus on the export market; the export value in the international market is higher than the domestic market. With higher profits, domestic enterprises will prioritize exports. In addition, on the part of state agencies, the control mechanism and management work are not really complete. While consumers want cheap products, agricultural products that do not ensure quality or are of low quality are still floating on the market.

“Another factor is that for businesses selling this product, profits are not high. Meanwhile, consumers are still used to shopping at traditional markets, lacking traceability. This is also a disadvantage for Vietnamese consumers, ” Mr. Tien shared.

Many trade promotion activities, stimulating domestic consumption

Experts say that it is time for Vietnamese agricultural products to conquer the Vietnamese market. Improving the quality, positioning and branding of Vietnamese agricultural products to firmly establish a foothold in the domestic market is not only a prerequisite to unblocking the flow of domestic agricultural products, but also helping products confidently reach out to the world.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tien said that in the past, large enterprises focused on the export market, but now they have begun to pay attention to the domestic market. The problem of how to make large domestic enterprises prioritize the supply of high-quality agricultural products requires a combination of many factors.

First, on the part of state management agencies, it is necessary to create favorable conditions, form value chains, and provide a connection chain between modern distribution systems and businesses. With the booming trend of e-commerce, especially social networks, it is necessary to support and create conditions for businesses. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will link with e-commerce platforms to sell products with traceability, origin, and safety.

Realizing that consumers do not really trust Vietnamese products, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has supported businesses and cooperatives to promote on social media platforms, because livestreams create a huge ripple effect. Through livestreams, consumers will perceive the value of the product, and accordingly, their ability to pay for the product will be higher.

Along with that, consumers have many conditions to access high-quality agricultural products. It is necessary to promote specialized logistics systems, especially cold logistics, cold storage, and specialized vehicles so that products reach consumers in a standard way, ensuring quality and safety.

Finally, it is aimed at professional farmers. Mr. Tien said that farmers need to be licensed, ensure legal procedures, form distribution channels, and with the participation of the state and associations, domestic consumers will have more access to high-quality agricultural products.

On the side of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in order to support output for agricultural products, Ms. Mai said that recently, the Department of Trade Promotion, Ministry of Industry and Trade has regularly coordinated to implement many trade promotion activities, develop domestic markets for Vietnamese agricultural products, support businesses to develop products, and expand distribution channels for local, regional, and national specialty products.

In particular, with a focus on the national trade promotion program, the Trade Promotion Agency has implemented many innovations, strengthening trade promotion activities to develop the domestic market for agricultural products.

On average, each year the program supports host units, localities, associations, and industries to organize about 15 regional fairs for local agricultural products, specialties, and OCOP products; strengthens trade connections for industries, combined with promoting, disseminating, and introducing products.

“ Through the programs, we also support and encourage localities to organize regional trade promotion programs to create better spillover effects. In addition, we also have many activities to support localities and industries such as building a database of products and local strengths, promoting and raising consumer awareness of Vietnamese products and goods, ” Ms. Mai emphasized.

Regarding solutions, in the coming time, Ms. Mai said that she will continue to coordinate with ministries and branches such as the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; manufacturers and distributors will continue to promote trade for seasonal local agricultural products in the domestic market.

There can be 4 solutions as follows:

Firstly, regarding trade promotion activities, we will continue to organize large-scale supply-demand connection activities in all three regions, regional fairs to create conditions for local suppliers and manufacturers; domestic manufacturers and enterprises to access, meet, seek business opportunities, and develop distribution systems. Thereby, serving increasingly diverse and increasing domestic consumption needs and ensuring supply for input enterprises, promoting consumption and business cooperation between localities.

Second, we will continue to implement the programs of the Ministry of Industry and Trade at the national level. At the local level, there will be national focused promotion programs to stimulate domestic consumption. Thereby, promoting the consumption of Vietnamese products, bringing Vietnamese brands into large value supply chains.

Third, we will continue to train and guide entities in the agricultural economy to participate in promoting trade on digital platforms and developing multi-channel trade in new ways.

“ Finally, we will step up propaganda and promotion of Vietnamese goods to the consumer community. Along with innovation, in addition to encouraging Vietnamese people to prioritize using Vietnamese goods, businesses also need to focus on raising awareness, better evaluating the domestic market as well as investing appropriately in developing products to meet people's consumption needs; promoting new forms of commerce. In particular, manufacturers must change, provide transparent information, and improve product quality, ” Ms. Mai emphasized.