Polish and Vietnamese firms in the food sector exchange information at a B2B meeting in HCM City on December 8. — VNS Photo

HCM CITY — Việt Nam and Poland are both exporters of agricultural products, but their products complement each other, offering opportunities for the two countries to enhance cooperation in the sector, according to the Việt Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Speaking at the Việt Nam-Poland business meeting in the food sector in HCM City on December 7, Nguyễn Hữu Nam, deputy director of VCCI in HCM City, said the traditional friendship between Việt Nam and Poland has always been continuously strengthened in all aspects, including trade and investment, adding that the implementation of the EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement has also helped boost their trade ties.

Bilateral trade between the two countries has increased significantly in recent years to reach nearly US$2.6 billion last year, a year-on-year increase of 22 per cent. Of this amount, Việt Nam’s exports to Poland accounted for over $2.1 billion, up 17 per cent over 2020, while Việt Nam's imports from Poland jumped 49 per cent to reach over $500 million.

Poland is currently Việt Nam's number one trading partner in eastern Europe, while Việt Nam is Poland's seventh largest trading partner outside the EU, he said.

Việt Nam’s key export items to Poland include garments, footwear, seafood, rice and coffee, while pharmaceuticals, dairy products, animal feed and cosmetics were among Poland’s key export items to Việt Nam.

“Though both countries have advantages in agricultural production, their products are complementary to each other. Poland has high demand for Vietnamese products such as rice, basa fish, shrimp, mango, pineapple, passion fruit, coffee and cashew nuts, while Poland is capable of supplying Việt Nam with various EU-standardised fresh and processed food and fruits, canned fruits, concentrated fruit extracts, beef, lamb, pork and others,” he said.

Việt Nam can learn from Poland’s experience in developing high-tech agriculture, he added.

Piotz Ziemann, vice president of the Association of Butchers and Producers of Processed Meat of the Republic of Poland, said many leading Polish businesses that produce beef, poultry and pork meat, meat-based products, fruits and vegetables, and other food products are looking to enter the Vietnamese market.

Poland is the third largest chicken producer in Europe, with 50 per cent of chicken production designated for export, he said, adding that 80 per cent of its beef production is exported, as is 40 per cent of its pork.

“Poland’s foods not only have high quality, but also are absolutely safe,” he said.

Alexander Nowakowski, third secretary of Economic Affairs at the Polish Embassy in Việt Nam, said Vietnamese consumers are familiar with the quality of Poland’s pork, chicken and fruits. He hopes that beef, duck, goose meat and some wild fruits will be soon available in Việt Nam.

Ziemann said Poland is implementing the EU programme titled “Tasteful Europe - Tradition and Quality” that seeks to promote meat, fruits and vegetables in Việt Nam and other Asian markets.

The programme is expected to yield positive results, with more Vietnamese customers knowing about and using Polish meat products, fruits and vegetables.

At the event, executives of more than 30 Vietnamese companies and eight Polish companies in the food sector directly met and exchanged information to seek business opportunities.