Trade promotion is one of the important solutions to help businesses find markets, promote images and improve the efficiency of business production. Currently, the number of enterprises in the province participating in trade promotion program is modest.
Binh Duong Industry and Trade sector seek to improve the efficiency of trade promotion. In photo: Citrus fruits in North Tan Uyen district are attracting many customers.
Enterprises participating in trade promotion programs are not many
In recent years, the industry and trade sector has cooperated with functional branches and localities in the province to carry out many programs to support enterprises in seeking, expanding markets and boosting export. These programs introduced products potential and strengths of enterprises in the province; at the same time, it has created conditions for enterprises to meet with partners, call for cooperation and development of domestic and foreign markets.
Particularly in 2016, Trade Promotion Center of the province has provided supported 4 units in organizing trade fairs with 800 booths in localities; coordinated with branches to organize 12 programs to bring Vietnamese goods to rural areas and industrial parks and clusters in the province; supported enterprises to participate in 14 domestic fairs and exhibitions, 4 trade shows, trade fairs and foreign exhibitions. In addition, as annual support programs, Department of Industry and Trade organizes counseling, training programs for many cooperatives, farms, farmer households to build and develop their brand name, enhance trade promotion skills and market penetration skills… in order to help producers look for efficient output and stable, long term market development...
However, according to statistics, annually only 200-300 enterprises join trade promotion programs of the province. This shows that enterprises in the province have not actively participated in the program, so that they can benefit from trade promotion programs of the province to seek output for their products.
At the meeting to discuss solutions to trade promotion activities and find outputs for agricultural products of North Tan Uyen district recently, Mr. Nguyen Van Danh, Director of Department of Industry and Commerce, said that issue concerned the authorities was that price of agricultural products easily evolved in a negative direction to farmers, because most output of farmers were purchased by traders and had no long term contracts, did not know where the true consumption market is. In fact, North Tan Uyen district has three 3 tree cooperatives, of which only 1 cooperative produces and collects pomelos supplied to supermarkets. The price of citrus fruits is relatively stable, price squeeze does not exit. Every year, pomelos produced by local farmers and sold to retailers or traders account for 92%, while pomelos sold to supermarkets account for only 8%. It can be seen that the finding and contracting with stable and long term buyers for citrus fruits in the province do not receive much attention, which easily leads to price squeeze or low consumption.
Boosting trade promotion
According to leaders of Department of Industry and Trade, the unit is boosting trade promotion programs to seek stable buyers for high quality agricultural products of the province. In the coming time, the sector will continue to innovate propaganda to raise farmers and producers’ awareness of market downturns (such as price drop, overproduction crisis, price squeeze). This will help farmers choose reliable and stable consumption channels (such as supermarkets, wholesale markets, processing plants ...) in order to have a stable and long-term consumption market.
Department of Industry and Trade leaders also said that the unit has continued to intensify propaganda activities to raise awareness of the role of trade promotion activities, encourage active participation in trade promotion of enterprises, farmers, farms in the province. The Department also promotes the signing of a joint program between Department of Trade and Industry (Trade Promotion Center) with People's Committee of districts, towns and cities (Economic Division) in the province to enhance trade promotion and set up specific strategies in each stage.
On the business side, it is necessary to promote trade activities both inside and outside the country; grasp opportunities, while improving the competitiveness of enterprises. Enterprises must also actively explore trade promotion programs of the province; propose their true needs to functional sectors to enjoy provincial policy incentives for production, sustainable development.
Reported by Tieu My – Translated by Ngoc Huynh
