Vietnamese agro-fishery businesses are eyeing up the untappedopportunities in the Finnish market, since Vietnamese products onlyaccounted for 4 percent of the European country’s 400-million-EUR annualimports of farm produce and seafood, an economist explained.
According to Claudio Karjalainen, Director of the Finnish companyFinnsea, Finland is not only an attractive market for Vietnamesebusinesses but also acts as a gateway for Vietnamese products to Russianand Northern European markets.
Finnish consumersare increasingly interested in imported products, especially salmon,tuna and other kinds of fish, he said at a conference in Ho Chi MinhCity on November 11 to introduce the Finnish market and cooperationmechanisms for Vietnamese and Finnish firms.
However, some experts at the event said imported raw seafood productsfrom developing countries are not popular in the Finnish market, addingthat the Scandinavian country mainly buy seafood from its neighbours.
They, therefore, recommended that Vietnamese firmscarefully research the market and assess their products’competitiveness, while strengthening their presence in the Finnishmarket with frozen seafood and processed goods.
Meanwhile, Vietnam should promote its strengths in a number of products, like basa fish, tuna and shrimp, they said.
Nguyen The Hung, Vice Director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce andIndustry (VCCI)’s Ho Chi Minh City branch, said VCCI has worked on aFinnish-funded project to support domestic enterprises in penetratingthe Finnish market.
The conference, which wasorganised as part of the project’s framework, aims to update businesseson the characteristics of the Finnish and Northern European markets,whilst providing tools that enable firms to access the market and seekpartnerships more easily, he said.
Vietnam mainlyexports coffee, rubber, footwear, apparel and handicrafts to Finland,while importing machinery and equipment, telecommunications, andplastics, he noted.
During the first eight months ofthe year, total trade between the two countries reached 171 millionUSD, including nearly 70 million USD worth of Vietnamese exports, headded.-VNA
According to Claudio Karjalainen, Director of the Finnish companyFinnsea, Finland is not only an attractive market for Vietnamesebusinesses but also acts as a gateway for Vietnamese products to Russianand Northern European markets.
Finnish consumersare increasingly interested in imported products, especially salmon,tuna and other kinds of fish, he said at a conference in Ho Chi MinhCity on November 11 to introduce the Finnish market and cooperationmechanisms for Vietnamese and Finnish firms.
However, some experts at the event said imported raw seafood productsfrom developing countries are not popular in the Finnish market, addingthat the Scandinavian country mainly buy seafood from its neighbours.
They, therefore, recommended that Vietnamese firmscarefully research the market and assess their products’competitiveness, while strengthening their presence in the Finnishmarket with frozen seafood and processed goods.
Meanwhile, Vietnam should promote its strengths in a number of products, like basa fish, tuna and shrimp, they said.
Nguyen The Hung, Vice Director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce andIndustry (VCCI)’s Ho Chi Minh City branch, said VCCI has worked on aFinnish-funded project to support domestic enterprises in penetratingthe Finnish market.
The conference, which wasorganised as part of the project’s framework, aims to update businesseson the characteristics of the Finnish and Northern European markets,whilst providing tools that enable firms to access the market and seekpartnerships more easily, he said.
Vietnam mainlyexports coffee, rubber, footwear, apparel and handicrafts to Finland,while importing machinery and equipment, telecommunications, andplastics, he noted.
During the first eight months ofthe year, total trade between the two countries reached 171 millionUSD, including nearly 70 million USD worth of Vietnamese exports, headded.-VNA
