Developing standard material areas for Vietnamese rice to succeed in the EU

The EU has only reserved a quota of 80,000 tons for rice in the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). (Photo: Hong Diep/VNA)

Vietnam is currently the third largest rice exporter in the world, but it is difficult for Vietnamese rice to be present in major markets such as the European Union (EU).

According to Mr. Tran Van Cong, Agricultural Counselor of Vietnam in the EU, rice exports to the EU market in recent years have prospered. However, the EU is not a big market for Vietnam's rice imports because the EU only sets aside a quota of 80,000 tons for rice in the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

Another reason is that the EU is also not a big rice consuming market compared to other markets. In the past time, since the implementation of the EVFTA, Vietnamese enterprises have made efforts to export rice to the EU market according to the quota granted.

Mr. Tran Van Cong said that for normal rice, businesses have made full use of quotas. Particularly, milled rice, exported to the EU, is very small. According to the commitment is 20,000 tons, but Vietnamese enterprises have only implemented a very small part.

Vietnamese enterprises have also tried their best to take advantage of the quota of 30,000 tons of fragrant rice for export. However, according to Mr. Tran Van Cong, it is still difficult to apply for a certificate for fragrant rice, so taking advantage of the above quota of fragrant rice in the past time has not been as desired. Therefore, the amount of Vietnamese rice entering the EU market is still limited compared to other countries.

[Opening to export, Vietnamese rice aims at the European high-end market]

In order to successfully export rice to the EU market, Mr. Tran Van Cong said that businesses need to ensure the source of standard raw materials, meeting the criteria set by EU regulations, namely the limit thresholds. pesticide residues according to Regulation 396/2005.

Vietnamese enterprises that want to take advantage of and exploit the EU rice market well need to focus on developing raw material areas that meet EU regulations.

On the other hand, Vietnamese businesses also need to focus on making good use of the EU quota that has been given to Vietnam with the tax rate of 0% within the framework of the EVFTA.

Mr. Tran Van Cong emphasized that in the past time, Vietnamese enterprises have well exploited the quota of close rice, but still need to focus on exploiting more quotas for fragrant rice and milled rice to make the most of the quota that the EU has for Vietnam.

In addition, according to Mr. Tran Van Cong, Vietnamese businesses also need to discuss with import partners in the EU, register early with the competent authorities in the EU to have a suitable time frame and focus on development. rice brand development.

Recently, Vietnam's rice is exported mainly through a number of major partners in Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and France and is still limited in other countries.

Currently, Germany is still the largest rice import market of Vietnam through many different channels. German imported Vietnamese rice is redistributed to other countries, serving domestic demand, and distributed through channels for restaurants, supermarkets, and retail supermarket systems of the Asian community.

Vietnam's rice has also been initially appreciated in terms of quality and has the ability to approach and dominate the market.

Source: Huong Giang (VNA/Vietnam+)