Speaking at a recent online Vietnam-China seafood trade exchange, which drew more than 30 Vietnamese seafood producers and many Guangzhou firms, Tai held that this is a good sign for aquatic sector amid the spreading of COVID-19 in many localities, affecting the sector’s supply chain.
According to Tai, due to COVID-19 impacts, Vietnam’s export of aquatic products to Guangzhou has faced many difficulties and almost traditional trade promotion activities have been postponed or cancelled.
Earlier in November 2020, China tightened the control of frozen food import in some major trade hubs due to COVID-19 pandemic by requiring four different kinds of certificates.
Along with the using of technology platforms and social networks such as Facebook, Viber and Zalo, the Vietrade has coordinated with Vietnamese Trade Offices abroad and trade associations to organize trade promotion activities, while connecting domestic exporters, suppliers and trading service providers, and updating local firms on market developments, thus seeking markets for export products.
He expressed his hope that the event will help Vietnamese firms study needs and requirements of the Guangzhou market and seek more partners.
Guangzhou businesses highlighted their demands for many kinds of Vietnamese aquatic products such as small-sized lobsters, shrimps, catfish, craps, tuna, octopus, and sea cucumbers.
Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, Vice Director of the Vietrade’s Export Support Centre said that a large number of orders were made at the event. Averagely, each Guangzhou firm needs 4-5 containers of aquatic products each week to serve the demand of Guangzhou and other markets in China. She added that Vietnamese firms are ready to provide the products.
Chinese firms also asked for support from the Vietrade in setting up their branches in Vietnam for aquatic product buying.
Also on August 10, the Vietrade helped connect 30 Vietnamese aquatic firms with partners in Rumania, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
The trade exchange events were part of a series of online conferences connecting consumption and boosting exports of seafood and breeding products of the Southern and Central Highlands regions hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on August 6, 9 and 10.
Source: VNA