 |
| Mr. Marco Schlueter, Head of Strategy and International Relations of Naturland. (Photo: Ha An) |
How do you evaluate the current interest of Vietnamese consumers in organic products?
Recently, we have noticed that Vietnamese consumers are very excited about organic products. However, when consumers choose organic products, they often feel a little confused at first when identifying whether the food they are using is actually organic or not because if it is, they need to have a clear certificate of origin.
After the Covid-19 pandemic, I realized that global consumers and Vietnamese consumers are increasingly concerned about health issues. Therefore, choosing to use products that are safe for health is one of the priorities that consumers aim for.
Food safety issues or high levels of pesticide and antibiotic residues in food... are still common in Vietnam today. Therefore, consumers seeking organic products will be an inevitable need.
Besides, Vietnam’s population is still very young, parents are also very concerned about their children’s health. Using organic products that are good for health helps ensure children’s growth.
The potential of organic food in Vietnam is huge because the middle class is growing, many people are willing to spend more money on safe products with clear origins.
Not only are the products produced without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers, but the use of organic foods is also a smart consumer behavior that contributes to environmental protection and sustainable development for the next generation.
However, in Vietnam today, the cost of obtaining organic certification is quite expensive, leading to an increase in the price of organic foods. With the increasing demand for green, clean, healthy products, we need to take measures to narrow this gap.
We highly appreciate the PSG standard model - Vietnam's organic labeling. This model has been confirmed by Haiform - the international organic movement. This could be a new approach to expand the practices related to organic agricultural production.
With the gradual certification of agricultural products, we are on the right track. We hope that by popularizing such models and standards, we can encourage farmers to continue growing organic products, bringing benefits to consumers.
So how can Vietnamese businesses meet Naturland's organic standards?
To meet Naturland standards, businesses must ensure a number of strict requirements from cultivation, planting to product packaging. For example, with organic coffee products, the cultivation process is not allowed to be monoculture but must ensure intercropping with an ecosystem of plants and vegetables under the coffee canopy.
For each organic product, Naturland has different standards for each product. Businesses that want to meet Naturland's requirements must find out what products they intend to develop and what specific requirements there are within the Naturland ecosystem.
Can you share about Naturland's plan to support Vietnamese businesses and farmers to meet Naturland and EU organic standards in the coming time?
As one of the German Organic Farmers Associations, the first thing we care about is the farmer. When making the requirements of Naturland, standards are one part, but knowledge and agricultural practices for farmers are very important.
We want to introduce good agricultural practices to Vietnamese farmers so that they can gain more knowledge and experience in organic farming practices. That is also one of the important goals we want to aim for.
In addition, we want to connect farmers with the ecosystem and Naturland network to promote the value chain in bringing organic products to consumers. Our network is currently quite large, gathering many food businesses, food processing, agricultural processing as well as distribution and retail parties.
In addition, we also aim at capacity building projects on organic practices. Through these projects, we will introduce more good examples and advanced methods to contribute to promoting the cultivation and breeding of organic products in Vietnam.
How is the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) supporting European organic products entering the Vietnamese market, sir?
The implementation of the EVFTA has helped reduce tariffs when European organic products enter Vietnam. With more European organic products, Vietnamese consumers will have more choices and benefit from using products with European standards at affordable prices. From there, the understanding of Vietnamese consumers in using organic products has also been improved.
Thank you!
Source
Comment (0)