Green, circular production in combination with well-connected supply chains will create a foundation for sustainable agricultural exports, experts have said.

Speaking at a recent conference held by the HCM City Department of Industry and Trade, Nguyen Dinh Tung, General Director of Vina T&T Group, and Vice President of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said Vietnam is home to diverse agricultural products, especially fruits.

However, he pointed out that the bottlenecks in agricultural export lie in product quality and connectivity between farmers and businesses, adding that both sides need to make commitments to benefit sharing.

Dr. Ha Thuy Hanh, Vice President of the Vietnam Farms and Agricultural Enterprises Association, said closed-loop production can help improve the quality of farm produce, and raise the value of the agriculture-based economy. Some models of circular production have seen their economic values increasing by 20-30%.

Models where agriculture and tourism are combined have also proven effective, she said.

However, she continued, there have been no exclusive mechanisms and strategies to promote such models yet. She suggested that new policies should be rolled out to encourage enterprises to process agricultural by-products and attract investments in the field. This will create a foundation for the agricultural sector to grow sustainably in terms of product quality, economic efficiency and environmental protection.

Hanh also proposed stepping up the communication work to change the mindset of leaders of agencies and localities, farmers and consumers.

Sharing Hanh’s view, Tung said the communication work plays an important role in building Vietnamese brands and attracting attention of international customers to Vietnamese agricultural products.

Huynh Kim Tuoc, Co-Chair of the Digital Economy & Technology Committee at the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham), said apart from traditional trade channels, online business has opened a new space for farm produce, suggesting domestic firms optimise it to expand their markets./.