What products are in high demand

Electricity demand rises faster than GDP growth By Thuy Dung A worker monitors an electricity production system at the Dong Nai Hydropower Plant in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong. The Government has offered a slew of incentives and preferential policies to investors to boost investments in the development of renewable energy - PHOTO: VNA HANOI – Statistics show that the rise in demand for energy in Vietnam is double the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate, participants heard at a workshop in Hanoi City on March 12. Speaking at the International Workshop co-organized by the Vietnam Energy Association and the UK Embassy on renewable energy development in Vietnam, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Cao Quoc Hung said that along with the significant economic growth, the demand for energy in the country rose by over 13% in the 2006-2010 period and by 11% in the 2011-2016 period. The demand surged by 10% in 2018. “The high demand for … [Read more...] about Electricity demand rises faster than GDP growth

Demand soars, but few traders cash in on organic food wave By Hung Le A staffer presents products at a beverage booth at the VietFood & Beverage – ProPack 2018 exhibitions. Even though customer demand for organic food is on the rise, the number of enterprises offering organic foodstuffs remains small - PHOTO: HUNG LE HCMC – Even though customer demand for organic food is on the rise, the number of enterprises offering organic foodstuffs remains small, said a representative of a food association at a press conference on July 23. Speaking at the press briefing to introduce international exhibitions on food and beverages (Vietfood & Beverage 2019) and processing and packaging (Propack 2019), Ly Kim Chi, chairwoman of the HCMC Food and Foodstuff Association (FFA), said that the organic food wave has emerged quickly and some firms are making the most of the trend in the market. Compared with one or two years ago, organic food is being sold more widely, Chi said, … [Read more...] about Demand soars, but few traders cash in on organic food wave

Farmers harvest chili pepper in central Quảng Ngãi Province. Farmers have been happy to see chili prices soaring over the past few days.– Photo baocongthuong.com.vn QUẢNG NGÃI – Farmers in the central province of Quảng Ngãi have been happy to see chili prices soaring over the past few days. The chili season often lasts from March to June. At the beginning of the chili season this year, prices were about VNĐ4,000-5,000 (US$0.17-0.22) per kilogramme. Prices have increased gradually to the current cost of VNĐ40,000 ($1.7) per kilogramme. According to a Quảng Ngãi newspaper report, in many chili fields in Tịnh Long Commune, Quảng Ngãi City, farmers eagerly went to the fields to harvest chili despite the extremely hot weather. Trần Thị Thúy, a farmer in the commune’s Tăng Long Village, said she has grown chili for the past 30 years, and the current price is the highest she has seen so far. Thúy invested VNĐ3 million into her chili field to buy fertiliser and seeds, and she … [Read more...] about Quảng Ngãi farmers earn high profits as chili pepper prices soar

A customer looks at potatoes at a safe food store of the Việt Nam Cooperative Alliance. — Photo vietnamplus.vn Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Loose quality management and high prices prevent many citizens from accessing safe food as Tết (Lunar New Year) approaches. Food demand rises by 20 per cent this time of year, creating opportunities for unsafe food to enter the marketplace. Forty-five localities in the country are collaborating with 380 supply chains to deliver safe vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs, rice and seafood. However, developing safe food supply chains and providing citizens with safe food has been a struggle. Food quality management has only touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of market supervision and does not cover the production phase. Only 0.6 per cent of slaughterhouses in the country are legally operated, far from residential areas, and meet the hygiene standards for food safety. In other words, most of the food sold is not controlled. Inspections … [Read more...] about More food demand for Tết, more risks

Huỳnh Thanh Tâm with his wine gourd-shaped coconuts. — Photo nld.com.vn Viet Nam News HCM CITY — Shops in HCM City selling speciality items for Tết (Lunar New Year) have entered their peak sales period. Cuttlefish pie, dried bamboo shoots and dried wood ear fungus from the north are among the highly sought-after gifts for the Lunar New Year, which falls on February 16 this year. Russian sturgeon caviar, Australian abalone, certain dried meats and fish, and dried and fresh fruits are also in demand. An organic products shop on Thảo Điền Street in District 2 has been packed in recent days with customers buying Russian sturgeon caviar. The number of people buying caviar during Tết is high, and most buy to gift, according to a shop employee. Sturgeon caviar cost around VNĐ 2.5 million (US$110) per 100g now. Shops selling speciality product on streets like Cống Quỳnh in District 1, Ngô Đức Kế in Bình Thạnh District and Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai in District 3, are crowded … [Read more...] about Tết speciality products fly off shelves in HCM City

The specialty fruit Lái Thiêu mangosteen in Bình Dương Province is well-known for its flavour. - VNA/VNS Photo Viet Nam News HCM CITY –  Local authorities in Bình Dương Province’s Thuận An Town are taking steps to promote the area’s famous Lái Thiêu mangosteen, a fruit specialty cultivated since the 19th century in the southeastern province. Thuận An Town’s Lái Thiêu Ward was the first area in the province to grow the fruit, which offered high profits for farmers, according to Trần Ngọc Phương, chairwoman of the town’s Farmers Association. However, since 2010, many mangosteen orchards have declined in yield, quality and area. In Thuận An, areas devoted to mangosteen are mostly in Lái Thiêu, An Thạnh, Hưng Định and Bình Nhâm wards. In 2010-13, the Thuận An People’s Committee conducted a survey on creating a registered collective brandname for Lái Thiêu mangosteen. In 2013, the National Office of Intellectual Property granted the specialty fruit a certificate as a … [Read more...] about Bình Dương expands production of specialty mangosteens

Trà Vinh Province plans to create large-scale rice fields to increase productivity. — VNA/VNS Photo Lê Minh Sơn Viet Nam News TRÀ VINH— The Mekong Delta province of Trà Vinh plans to increase the production values of the agro-forestry-fishery sector by more than 4 per cent by 2020, according to the provincial People’s Committee. At a conference reviewing the last five years of agricultural restructuring, Kim Ngọc Thái, the committee’s vice chairman, said that labour productivity would increase by more than 5 per cent by 2020. The number of rural labourers in the sector would be under 40 per cent, while the number of trained labourers in agriculture would increase to nearly 50 per cent, according to Thái. Moreover, the province aims to double the income of local residents by 2020 against the level in 2013. To obtain the targets, the province’s project on agricultural restructuring will be carried out by improving the added value of agricultural products and … [Read more...] about Trà Vinh seeks higher labour productivity

Demand for labor surges in southeastern provinces after Tet The Saigon Times Daily The demand for labor after Tet has surged in southeastern provinces. In this file photo, employees are seen working at the Dong Hung JSC footwear manufacturing plant in Tan Hiep A Industrial Park, Binh Duong Province – PHOTO: VNA HCMC - The number of new employees needed in the southeastern provinces will reach an estimated 100,000 people this year, as the demand for labor after the Tet Holiday surges. Some enterprises even visited the Mekong Delta provinces to recruit workers, local newspaper Sai Gon Giai Phong reported. Data from the Labor Union in Binh Duong Province reported that 345 companies in the province seek to recruit 47,500 more employees to work in the fields of electronics, textile-garment and leather-footwear, although more than 99% of total workers had resumed working, as of February 21, after the holiday. Apparel Far Eastern company in Thuan An town of the province … [Read more...] about Demand for labor surges in southeastern provinces after Tet

March’s manufacturing output growth at 4-month high By Phuong Thao Steel production at Hoa Phat Group. The headline Nikkei Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) posted 51.9 in March, up from 51.2 in February - PHOTO: VNA HCMC – The Vietnamese manufacturing sector continued to see signs of robust growth during March, with output increasing at the fastest pace since November last year while total new business and exports also rose more quickly than the previous month. The headline Nikkei Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) posted 51.9 in March, up from 51.2 in February, signaling an improvement in the health of the sector for the 40th successive month. Although registering below the 2018 average, the PMI was comfortably above the 50 no-change mark at the end of the first quarter, said a Nikkei report launched on April 1. New orders rose for the fortieth month in a row during March amid increased customer numbers and growth of new … [Read more...] about March’s manufacturing output growth at 4-month high

Vietnam’s PMI hits four-month high By Phuong Thao Workers produce unbaked bricks from ashes and cinders. Vietnam's PMI hit a four-month high in April - PHOTO: VGP HCMC – The Vietnamese manufacturing sector maintained its growth in April as firms were once again successful in securing new orders, with the Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rising to a four-month high of 52.5 from 51.9 in March. According to a report released by Nikkei and IHS Markit on May 2, the figure signaled a solid monthly improvement in the health of the sector. Business conditions have improved on a monthly basis since December 2015. Firms continued to see new orders rise at a solid pace in April, with the rate of growth broadly in line with that seen in March. A similar picture was seen in new export business. In both cases, panelists mentioned improving customer demand. New order growth fed through to increases in a number of other variables monitored by the survey, including … [Read more...] about Vietnam’s PMI hits four-month high