According to Kazuhiro Takahashi,
Head of the Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery Division under the Japan
External Trade Organization (JETRO), Vietnam is one of the potential
food markets for Japanese enterprises, especially for aquatic products.
Katsuya Uchida, a representative of Japan’s
Kyokuyo Company, said that the Vietnamese market currently accounts for 30
percent of the total seafood export turnover of his company. Of which, salmon
and tuna are the most consumed products and receive positive feedback from
consumers.
Vietnam has become an attractive market for Japanese retailers. Photo: tiepthithegioi.vn
In order to promote exports and
dominate the Vietnamese market, Japanese consumer goods and foodstuff
enterprises also tend to change some criteria of their products to suit the
tastes of Vietnamese consumers.
Besides, Japanese enterprises
actively seek partners who can supply raw materials in Vietnam in order to save costs and
lower production costs.
Recently, more than 80 Japanese and
Vietnamese enterprises participated in a trade conference in the southern province of Dong Nai to promote development
cooperation between the two sides and call for investment and development
cooperation.
Representatives of Japanese
enterprises, who are manufacturing and doing business in Dong Nai province,
said that most of them have to import 60-90 percent of raw materials and
components from foreign countries in service of production.
Therefore, these companies want to
find suitable partners in the Vietnamese market to supply raw materials of high
quality and at competitive prices in order to reduce imports and increase the
rate of domestic production.
As one of the largest Japanese
supermarkets in Vietnam,
AEON’s policy in the Vietnamese market is to set aside 80 percent of its
shelves to display Vietnamese goods. The remaining 20 percent is for goods
imported from Japan
and other countries.
According to a representative of
AEON Vietnam, the massive
appearance of Japanese retailers in Vietnam is a great opportunity for
the country’s prestigious products to emerge in the distribution network of
large retailers.
Japan’s distribution and retail systems
not only help Vietnamese businesses expand their domestic market but also to
create conditions for Vietnamese products to reach the Japanese market and
affirm their trademark in other countries, the representative said.
However, in order to be able to
participate in the distribution and retail systems of Japan, the goods must be
accompanied with documents proving their origin and quality accreditation, in
accordance with legal regulations, as well as meeting the quality standards of
each supermarket.
At present, the Ministry of Industry
and Trade has access to a number of distribution systems in Vietnam such as
AEON, Walmart, Lotte and Auchan, as well as some foreign distribution systems
not available in Vietnam such as Co.op Italia, Bonat Italia, Central Group,
French Ocean and German Metro to promote the direct distribution of Vietnamese
products to the world market.
Besides, according to experts,
Vietnamese consumers’ preference for Japanese products is also opening up
opportunities for Vietnamese producers to improve their products to increase
competitiveness.
They said that Vietnamese producers
need to have strategies to produce safe products that meet quality standards
and the needs of consumers in the market.
In addition, there is a need for
linkages between associations to create bulk supply chains, which will enable
small businesses to access the market.
As consumers strictly demand quality
products, Vietnamese producers should enhance the competitiveness through the
improvement of quality for sustainable development, the experts said.
Source: VNA