HCMC – Exploring export markets in the current circumstance is a tough challenge for local companies as discovered in a recent survey, said the HCMC Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC).
Exporters want help to explore markets
By Quoc Hung - The Saigon Times Daily
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| Pho Nam Phuong (L) and Mai Thi Duyen field questions from reporters at the press conference in HCMC on Thursday - Photo: Quoc Hung |
HCMC – Exploring export markets in the current circumstance is a tough challenge for local companies as discovered in a recent survey, said the HCMC Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC).
Speaking at a press conference held in the city on Thursday to announce a forum on export, Pho Nam Phuong, director of the center, said small and medium enterprises (SME) were having difficulty finding outlets for their goods, especially those abroad.
In the survey, over 30% of 3,000 HCMC-based SMEs said the biggest problem they were facing is to look for customers in foreign markets, said Mai Thi Duyen, head of the Vietnam Exporters Association (VEXA), which is under ITPC.
Phuong said most of apparel, footwear and agricultural firms had export orders for the first quarter and that no talks had been held over new orders for the second quarter. Meanwhile, at this time of year, enterprises normally secure orders for the whole year or following years, she added.
Around 90% of the surveyed enterprises have export operations but 23% still lack information about export markets and are in need of support from VEXA to cope with this matter, Duyen said.
According to the survey, which was conducted from mid-2011 to March this year, many enterprises bemoaned difficult access to bank loans, as well as problems with transport, brand building and production places.
Amid the deepening economic woes, ITPC has forecast exporters would continue to face a drop in orders, price volatility and foreign exchange risks this year.
As a result, the government of HCMC has instructed ITPC to organize a forum on opportunities and prospects for this year’ export on Friday next week. The city’s leaders, economic experts, commercial counselors and representatives of export-import promotion organizations will be attending the event.
The forum will have six country- and region-specific sessions on Vietnam’s major export markets such as the U.S., EU, Japan, ASEAN, China and South Korea. These sessions will have the participation of representatives of consulates, commercial sections, the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Vietnam, the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham) in Vietnam, the Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro), the Center for the Promotion of Imports (CBI) and local and foreign experts.