Prospects of Cooperation in Fisheries, Foodstuff

During a press conference on the sidelines of the Food and Hotel Vietnam Exhibition 2011 held in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr Robert Kloos, said: Vietnam has enormous opportunity for boosting up seafood and coffee exports to Germany because consumers like them. Vietnamese basa catfish (pangasius bocourti) is a favourite food in Germany. Germans are also fond of Vietnamese coffee. Thus, Vietnamese exporters should consider taking up this opportunity.

 

He cited that aquatic products and coffee respectively accounted for 160 million euro and 250 million euro out of over 500 million euro Vietnam earned from exports to Germany in 2010. Seafood export from Vietnam to Germany has the greatest potential of development, he added. Remarkably, while Germany has short coasts, its people have a strong liking for aquatic products. Vietnam should culture more basa fish for export to Germany. At present, Vietnamese basa fish accounts for 70 percent of fish imported by Germany. Its coffee export to the European nation expanded 15 percent last year while seafood export rose 6 percent. Meanwhile, Vietnamese companies can import German high quality products for domestic consumption.

 

According to the General Department of Customs, aquatic products were the third largest export to Germany with US$122.9 million in the first half of 2011, up 43.96 percent year on year. Notably, the export value of tuna to Germany grew at a double digit speed in the first months of the year. In April 2011, this market surpassed Italy to become the largest EU importer of Vietnamese tuna. So far this year, eight companies have exported 3,000 tonnes of tuna worth US$7.8 million to Germany, up 39.1 percent in volume and 41.6 percent in value over the same period in 2010. Canned tuna accounted for US$6.7 million, or 87 percent of the total value, while raw tuna made up for just US$1 million, or 13 percent.

 

Robert Kloos said Germany is not only a country of high technology, modern equipment and machinery but it also has a highly developed agriculture. Agricultural companies have applied different methods and techniques to diversify products and enhance quality. Bavarian cheese and sausage in central Germany have been known worldwide. Wines of different kinds are also very famous. In general, no matter what fields they specialise in, German companies attach importance to applying high technology to create high-quality products, including agriculture. Many German visitors are milk companies and they express their interests in cooperating with Vietnamese partners.

 

As a deputy of the German Government, Robert Kloos confirmed that the Germany side, through meetings with other Vietnamese agencies, can support Vietnamese exporters with food quality control and export procedures. German companies expect to have specific meetings with Vietnamese partners to sign contracts.

 

Although the two countries have huge potential in food industry, the two-way trade revenues remain low in the past years. Germany’s food and drink export to Vietnam valued just US$70 million in 2010, including US$2.2 million from dairy products (up 35 percent over 2009), and US$7.9 million from confectioneries and breads (up 92 percent). Besides, Vietnam’s agricultural export to Germany is small in comparison with US$250 million to Hong Kong and US$500 million to Japan in 2010. Therefore, Mr Kloos said that the two sides need to unlock potentials to promote the bilateral trade.