Celebrating the first time Vietnamese rice was marketed on the Japanese market

DNHN - The event, which promoted Vietnamese rice goods for the first time on the Japanese market, drew a big number of participants from the Vietnamese community in Japan, as well as Japanese companies interested in distributing Vietnamese rice products...

According to the Vietnam Trade Office in Japan, an event to promote Vietnamese rice goods will continue to be marketed in the Japanese market beginning July 1, 2022.

Kiraboshi Banking Alliance, Suntomi International Company, Spice House Company, and Tan Long Corporation arranged the event in Tokyo, with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, the Embassy of Vietnam in Japan, and Nikkoku Trust Corporation.

This event seeks to raise awareness of Vietnamese rice products among Japanese customers. This is the first time Vietnamese rice grains have been legally sold in Japanese supermarkets and businesses.

According to the Organizing Committee, the purpose of this activity is to distribute information to the Vietnamese population in Japan, consequently encouraging Vietnamese rice exports to this market. At the same time, it contributes to the promotion of bilateral commercial ties as the two nations approach the 50th anniversary of the start of formal diplomatic relations in 2023.

Previously, Tan Long Group Joint Stock Firm collaborated with Kiraboshi Bank on June 30 in Tokyo to host the launching ceremony of ST25 rice product branded A An, which the company successfully launched. start selling in Japan

Speaking at the ceremony, the Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vu Hong Nam praised Kiraboshi Bank and Tan Long Group for their efforts in delivering ST25 high-quality rice products to a market with high standards like Japan.

"Vietnam is one of the world's major rice exporters," added the Ambassador. Vietnamese rice is available in over 100 markets throughout the globe. However, this is the first time Vietnam's ST25 rice has been introduced to the Japanese market. The sale of ST25 rice to the Japanese market demonstrates that Vietnam not only exports a lot of rice, but also tasty rice that matches the Japanese market's very high requirements.

Tan Long Group claims that in the Japanese market, Suntomi International Company would import ST25 rice branded A An, which will subsequently be marketed by Spice House Company in supermarkets and stores.

Mr Khorow Hassanzadeh, Chairman of Spice House Company Limited, a distributor of ST25 rice in Japan, said that ST25 rice was named "The Best Rice in the World" in 2019 and is widely trusted.

Despite the global trade liberalization trend, Japan is still regarded as a nation with a high degree of domestic agricultural protection. Rice, in particular, is a sensitive commodity that Japan wishes to safeguard and eliminate from the list of tariff reductions negotiated in free trade agreements.

Currently, Japan has no particular preferential obligations for rice imported from Vietnam under the FTAs to which Vietnam and Japan are parties (including AJCEP, VJEPA, CPTPP, and RCEP). Vietnamese rice shipped to Japan must compete in international bidding packages (under the normal market access mechanism - OMA, or the parallel trading mechanism - SBS).

Vietnamese rice is not competitive in the Japanese market when compared to rice from the United States, Thailand, China, or Australia. In recent years, Vietnamese rice has entered the Japanese market in small amounts, mostly via non-commercial routes, and is primarily utilized as a raw ingredient in the production of other goods such as cakes, miso paste, and so on.

The last time Vietnamese rice won a bid for sale to Japan, according to the Vietnam Trade Office in Japan, was in 2012. Following that, Vietnamese rice was discovered to have excessive pesticide residues, therefore it was prohibited. Japanese firms have been added to the list of bidders. As a result, since then, Vietnamese rice has been sold to the Japanese market only via non-commercial means in small amounts, primarily for food processing.

According to Japan Customs data, Vietnam's rice export turnover to Japan last year reached 48.7 million yen, a 73 per cent increase over 2020, but represented just approximately 0.09 per cent of total Japanese rice imports.

The sale of 100 tons of ST25 rice in Japanese supermarkets and stores drew the attention of a significant number of members of the Vietnamese community in Japan, as well as famous news agencies from both Vietnam and Japan. Japan, and particularly Japanese enterprises, are interested in distributing and displaying Vietnamese rice goods. This is also a significant milestone since Vietnamese rice will now be available on the tables of Japanese households.

Bao Ngan