VLAM: Pork and poultry prospecting trip to Vietnam
Southeast Asia has been in the crossroads of Belgian exporting meat companies for many years. Thanks to EU funding, a stronger export program can be developed within VLAM to give Belgian companies a boost in this far-flung market. The development of logistics facilities for frozen meat offers growth opportunities for Belgian meat.
The EU is Vietnam's main foreign supplier of pork (76,000 tonnes in 2021 or 43% of total imports). Belgium has a market share of 2 to 4% of total pork imports. The import of poultry meat from the EU has been on the rise in recent years and amounted to approximately 30,000 to or 17% of the import value in 2021. In 2020, Belgium joined the top 10 suppliers of poultry meat to Vietnam.
Belgian Meat Office, the meat export agency within VLAM and active on the Vietnamese market since 2013, developed a three-part program for a special mission to Vietnam from 5 to 9 December.
Two days (5 and 6 December) were provided for the Belgian delegation to visit a cold store, a retailer that works with imported meat, the largest wholesale market in Ho Chi Minh City and a pig slaughterhouse just outside the city (Củ Chi). More insight was gained into the route the meat takes to the consumer in Vietnam and how opportunities and threats are assessed. The exchange of information and experiences was enriching for both the visitors and the Vietnamese players.
Subsequently, participation in the specialized trade fair Food & Hotel Vietnam was on the agenda. The fair had approximately 300 stands from 30 countries and is an important meeting place for food professionals in Southeast Asia. The fair allowed Belgian exporters to explore the market and make new contacts.
There was a broad representation of European companies, which found shelter in a European pavilion. It is worth noting that meat companies (pork, beef and poultry meat) from Germany, Denmark, Spain, Poland, Russia, Canada, USA and UK were present.
The following Belgian pork exporters were present: Danis Pork Masters, Delavi, G. Van Landschoot en Zonen, Jademo and Vleesbedrijf P. Wils.
VLAM also participated in Food Hotel Vietnam with the poultry sector and with EU support. Anoek Van Wouwe, poultry promotion manager at VLAM: “This exhibition participation marked the kick-off of our poultry meat export program aimed at Southeast Asia after the corona crisis. With an image campaign in the Vietnamese trade press, a general representation of the sector and the presence of Lion of the Export winner Kipco Damaco, we can look to the future with hope. “
The third part of the mission was a networking event in Belgo Đa Kao, the Belgian gastropub, with a welcome by Belgian ambassador Karl Van den Bossche. The Belgian delegation was able to talk further with about forty importers and to deepen the contacts.
Both importers and Belgian exporters who traveled along regarded the mission as very successful.
Joris Coenen, manager of the Belgian Meat Office at VLAM: "Our combined multi-year program of exhibition participations, contact days and a communication campaign towards Vietnamese buyers and importers is bearing fruit for our companies."
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