By bringing healthy, clean and delicious foods for the community and improving health, An Phu Irradiation Joint Stock Company (API) has won the support and trust of most consumers. Vietnam Business Forum had a talk with Mr Vuong Dinh Khoat, Director of API, on initial difficulties and efforts to widen the application of irradiation technology to foods to enhance the protection of community health.
Could you briefly introduce the history of API?
API, founded in 2003, is one of two leading companies using cobalt 60 source ionizing radiation technology to preserve and prevent the degeneration of foods and agricultural products and destroy harmful bacteria, micro-organisms and insects. Since its incorporation, the company has always managed to keep its sustainable growth, demonstrated by impressive annual growths. In the first nine months of 2009, API had revenues of VND49.6 billion, a profit before tax of VND25.969 billion, a net profit of VND24.152 billion and earnings per share (EPS) of VND2,795. If the current business situation keeps proceeding, the figures will be higher. We have been present in many market segments such as cleansing medical equipment, disinfecting mould in herbal medicines and spices, killing micro-organisms in frozen seafood, etc. to give a helping hand to supply healthy, clean and delicious foods and to improve the quality of living standards of the people.
From our market surveys, from early 2009, we started expanding into another field: irradiating fresh fruits bound for export to the United States. This is a prospective field for several years to come and is a promising field for the company’s earnings sources as well as the national economy. However, there are numerous difficulties and challenges in developing this service. The hardest difficulty is consumers do not actually completely understand the nature of gamma rays. Worse, they even think this service is harmful. In fact, this technology is totally harmless and very useful. Hopefully, consumers will raise their understanding of what we have been trying to do for the sake of health and benefits of the people. They will know prominent features of this technology in ensuring the hygiene and safety of foods to expand the application of this technology to protect the health of the community.
API is using cobalt 60 source ionizing technology to protect foods and prevent the degeneration of foods. Could you introduce more about this technology?
The benefits of ionising radiation technology are scientifically proven. Irradiated foods will be free of toxins and irradiation does not change chemical compositions to harm human health. Thus, foods are benign. Ionized irradiations will kill malignant bacteria and micro-organisms such as E.coli, Trichina, and Salmonella in foods. Besides, this method also prevents the sprouting of potatoes and garlic and slows down the ripening of fruits. Thus, the foods are clean. Besides, ionised irradiation does not decrease the nutrition value of foods neither does it destroy the presence of vitamins in foods nor change amino acid and fatty acid. Thus, the foods are delicious. Furthermore, irradiated foods do not contact radioactive substances but are treated with gamma rays. Hence, foods are not radioactive foods. Irradiation plants do not harm the surroundings and operators if they are operated accurately.
What are the company’s strategies for personnel improvement?
It is very expensive to train a worker for this industry. The training time is very long (the apparatus operation requires six months of training in Vietnam and abroad) with a very large expense. Especially, workers have to be devoted to the career and double their efforts to follow it. Due to considerably high industry risk, API always has a “replacement force” for any personnel plans. Additionally, our workers are totally protected although irradiators are intercepted. However, as we always put human health on the top of everything, we have to therefore set up plans to rotate personnel to regenerate labour perfectly.
We always pursue additional training and retraining policies to create a high-grade workforce. In addition, with many unity policies, all 120 staffs constitute a great family of API to complete the mission of “making foods benign, clean and delicious” to protect health.
What is the strategic objective of API for the period from 2009 to 2015?
API is the second unit in Vietnam allowed to irradiate fresh fruits bound for the US market by the US Department of Agriculture. This is a persuasive proof of our world-class equipment system. Working with the US partners means accepting high cost, systematic process, perfect quality and strict control in all activities and API satisfies all requirements from the partners. We are absolutely confident about our service quality.
At present, fruits exported to the US need irradiating. We have prepared a detailed plan to embrace this opportunity in the most practical and solid way. We are building another irradiation plant in Binh Minh Industrial Park in Vinh Long province to serve fresh fruit growers better. We are completely confident in our strategy of coordinating with exporters to bring Vietnamese fresh fruits to the US market soon.
We expect to own five irradiation plants in Vietnam to serve programmes to irradiate 16 types of fruits in Vietnam exported to the US market and the other nations, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. This is also the strategic vision of API. To successfully export Vietnamese fruits to those potential markets, it is necessary to set up and strengthen the alliance between farmers, exporters and irradiators. API will have direct plans to open new markets in the future. We will double our efforts to establish the reliable API trademark specialising in exported irradiated fresh fruits to ensure the purity for the Vietnamese agriculture and protect the health of consumers in the domestic market as well as international markets.
Reported by Bich Thuy
Vietnamese
