Fair trade
certifications simplify business activities since they focuses on
controlling the production process rather than checking the quality of
products separately. Its registration fee is also less expensive than
that of other certifications, said Director of the Vietnam Rural
Industries Research and Development Institute Nguyen Bao Thoa.
A report on the potential of fair trade in the aforementioned
commodities indicates that more than 95 percent of the products were
sold through exports. The markets are expected to expand due to
advantageous natural conditions, labour and material resources.
Under the EU-funded fair trade promotion project in Vietnam,
enterprises will receive support to build business plans for the EU
market and register for fair trade certifications. Participants will
also receive training and have opportunities to join domestic and
international trade fairs.
Nguyen Thu Thao, a
representative from the Vietnam Handicraft Exporters Association, said
all handicraft firms with certified fair trade standards in Vietnam
could join exports at different scales. The sector’s export turnover
reaches nearly 3 million USD per year and more than 65 percent of
importers are fair trade customers, mainly the US, Europe, Japan,
Australia and South America.
However, according to
Nguyen Thi Hong Minh, an expert in fair trade promotion projects, only a
few businesses have received fair trade certifications so far: five
from the handicraft sector, 11 from coffee, three from tea and none of
the spices and cacao firms have earned the label.
Additionally, the connection between fair trade recipients is weak, she
noted, suggesting businesses set up a fair trade network at home and the
State promote fair trade in promotion activities./.
