Japanese businesses want to invest but are afraid of Chinese traders

Japanese businesses want to invest in agriculture in the Mekong Delta but are concerned about Chinese traders buying up agricultural products.

On the morning of December 10, 32 Japanese companies specializing in agricultural production and business had a working session with the People's Committee of Can Tho City to seek investment and cooperation opportunities in the agricultural sector.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kieu, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Can Tho City, said: “Currently, the three main agricultural production value chains of Can Tho City are rice, aquatic products and fruit trees. In the coming time, Can Tho will form typical agricultural sub-regions including: high-tech food and food production belts around urban areas; specialty fruit growing areas combined with tourism; seedling production areas serving the city and provinces in the region…”.

Appreciating the advantages and potential of agriculture in Can Tho as well as the Mekong Delta, Mr. Yasuzumi Hirotaka, Chief Representative of the JETRO office (the Japanese Government's trade promotion organization) in Ho Chi Minh City, is concerned: "Currently, in the Mekong Delta, there are many Chinese traders buying cheap agricultural products or selling uninspected fertilizers and pesticides to farmers, causing market disruption and environmental pollution.

Even in the rice export stage, there are middlemen so the profits do not reach the farmers. Therefore, the agricultural sector of the region needs to be reformed so that farmers can truly benefit when Japanese enterprises come here to invest.

People in Can Tho city have been collecting young areca nuts to sell to Chinese traders recently.

According to Mr. Yasuzumi Hirotaka, when Japanese enterprises enter Vietnam, they will provide technical equipment as well as high and safe technology to increase product value for farmers and consumers.

Ms. Kieu affirmed: “In rice production, the agricultural sector recommends that people apply models such as large fields, 1 must 5 reductions to limit the use of pesticide residues. For aquatic products and fruit trees, farmers are also trained in the process of obtaining certifications such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP to have safe products to sell on the market or for export.”

According to Zing.vn