Reorganising production and producing high-quality rice with retraceable origins will increase Vietnamese rice’s value on the international market amid fierce competition from foreign products, experts have suggested.

Workers at Hau River Food Company in the southern Can Tho Province load rice for export

Vietnam has been one a top rice exporter for decades but the value remains low as the country’s rice lacks its own trademarks.

Statistics showed that Vietnam exports from 6-8 million tonnes of rice each year but only earns 3.7 billion USD. 

A lack of prestigious brands, inability to control chemical residues and untraceable origins are the weaknesses of Vietnamese rice, especially in demanding markets.

According to experts, Vietnam needs to focus on creating high-quality rice brands because the market has become saturated.

The diversification of markets is another path for Vietnamese rice, according to Pham Van Chinh, head of the Export-Import Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

VNA

The DAIWA-SSIAM Vietnam Growth Fund II L.P (Daiwa-SSIAM II), an investment joint venture fund managed by the Saigon Securities Inc. Asset Management Ltd. Co. (SSIAM) and the Daiwa Corporate Investment Co. Ltd., has recently invested in Concung.com, a Vietnamese retail chain for maternal and baby products.

“The facility will range between $4 and $6 million,” a representative from Saigon Securities Inc. (SSI) told VET, which is the average target investment set by the fund for each deal, she added.

Concung.com was founded in 2011 and has since established 100 outlets in Ho Chi Minh City and some 20 other cities and provinces, bringing authentic and essential products of high quality, traceability, and reasonable prices to every household.

It is also expanding and developing Toycity, a children toys retail concept, with the aim of providing Vietnamese children with more diverse, intelligent, high-quality, safe, and, in particular, reasonably-priced toys. 

The Concung.com and Toycity chains are expected to expand rapidly nationwide in the future, SSIAM said in a statement.

SSIAM also explained why Daiwa-SSIAM II chose to invest in Concung.com. 

The retail chain’s competitive advantages are its professional founders and management team, deep roots in information technology and systems management, and strong experience in retail operations and development.

With strong entrepreneurial values together with a young, active environment emphasizing “deliverable commitments”, Concung.com has grown in scale within a relatively short period and certainly has more potential in the future.

Post-investment, besides the capital injection, Daiwa-SSIAM II will support the company in improving its corporate governance and financial systems, the implementation of its vision and execution strategy, and in finding potential international partners to achieve sustainable development.

Daiwa-SSIAM II, the second private equity fund of SSIAM, was jointly established by the two leading financial institutions in Japan and Vietnam in the third quarter of 2015. 

Having successfully conducted investment activities in Vietnam since 2009, Daiwa-SSIAM II aims to continue providing hands-on post-investment support to investee companies by utilizing the expertise, knowledge and networks of Daiwa and SSI.

The fund typically targets investments ranging from $4 to 6 million, investing primarily in a selected number of non-listed companies in manufacturing, consumer goods and services, and agriculture, as well as in sectors where strong growth is expected, driven by attractive demographics, rapid urbanization, the rising middle class and changes in lifestyle in the midst of deeper integration by Vietnam through globalization and trade.

In November 2015, Daiwa-SSIAM II invested $6 million in the Dong Hai JSC in the Mekong Delta’s Ben Tre province to implement the second phase of the Giao Long Paper Factory, which has a capacity of 660 tons per day.

SSIAM is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saigon Securities Inc., a leading securities company in Vietnam, providing fund and portfolio management services to help individuals and institutions preserve and grow their wealth.

The Daiwa Corporate Investment Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of the Daiwa Securities Group, one of the leading financial services firms in Asia, operates core businesses such as retail, global markets, global investment banking, asset management, and investment.

VN Economic Times

VietNamNet Bridge – Technological and financial limitations are major development constraints for the local supply industry, Bui Quang Chuyen, Chairman of the Viet Nam Engine and Agricultural Machinery Corporation (VEAM), tells VietnamPlus.

An auto production line at Huyndai Thanh Cong Auto Plant in Ninh Binh Province’s Gian Khau Industrial Zone.

Where does the Vietnamese supply industry stand now?

The supply industry has progressed, but not yet caught up with the country’s development demands. This is partically due to limited technological standards and difficulties in finances.

In 2015, the Government issued Decree 111/CP that aimed to give fresh growth impetus to the industry, but many shortcomings persist, including inadequate the lack of preferential interest rates on loans for investment projects.

In addition, many localities do not have policies to encourage businesses to invest in the supply industry. There is no support for investment in technology, in technology transfer, or preferential tax policies, especially for agricultural machinery. For instance, there is no import tax refund on materials and fuels used to make agricultural machinery and other supply industry items.

FDI businesses regularly complain that it is difficult to find suppliers (of spare parts, accessories etc.) in Viet Nam. What can we do to be a bigger part of the production chain?

To join in the global supply chain, particularly in the automobile industry, hi-tech production knowledge is required so that we are competitive in terms of product quality, price, packaging and delivery. There are many other factors as well.

VEAM currently has three companies in the supply industry; Machinery Spare parts No.1, Pho Yen Mechanical JSC and Song Cong Diesel Company. About 70 per cent of the companies’ output is supplied to Japanese motorbike makers.

We know that the businesses will have to invest in high-tech machinery, with accuracy and capacity of foremost importance.

To acquire and use advanced technologies, VEAM has to send its staff and workers to training courses in foreign countries and hire experts to directly train workers here.

Were there foreign businesses specialising in agricultural machinery that bought VEAM shares during its recent initial public offering (IPO)?

Most of the 240 investors who took part in the IPO on August 30, 2016 were financial companies and several were involved in both the financial and automobile industries.

In fact, there were not any investors in agricultural machinery who bought VEAM shares because, even in Japan and the Republic of Korea, a lot of capital is required and profitability is not high in this industry.

However, we at VEAM also see it as a political task, and we will have to meet the demand for “Made in Viet Nam” agricultural machinery.

You say foreign businesses are not interested in agricultural machinery, but in fact, there is fierce competition from Chinese products. What do you think about this issue?

In the area of agricultural machinery, our strategic focus is on quality. To compete with cheap machines imported from China and India, we seek to develop our capacity and high-tech capabilities.

VEAM will not compete with similar products from China and India on price. Similarly, on the service side, we will focus on maintenance and meet the demands of users.

VEAM enterprises have been part of big joint ventures alongside Honda, Toyota and Ford… What can be done to go from this stage to becoming owners and access sci-tech advances? And can they join the global supply chain?

VEAM has sent its staff to a number of foreign companies, including Honda Vietnam and Toyota Motor Vietnam (TMC), to hold leadership roles and serve as members of executive boards in such joint ventures. Many VEAM staff are playing the role of managers or team leaders in production lines.

In Ford Vietnam, from the General Director to other key positions, there are Vietnamese personnel, therefore both grasps of technology and technology transfer are possible.

However, we are mainly interested in automobiles. We will focus on gaining experience, learning technologies and investing in the sector. As for motorbikes, I think volumes will fall after 2020 because the market will be saturated.

The country’s automobile industry is facing a lot of difficulties; isn’t it a bit adventurous for VEAM to continue focusing on this area?

VEAM has an auto factory in central Thanh Hoa Province, which is set to grow 20-30 per cent annually, mainly meeting the market demand for trucks. Our strategy is to invest in production through raising the localisation rate and improving the quality of trucks. In the future, we expect to manufacture buses. Trucks and buses are the two strategic vehicles for the future, as identified by the Government.

For small sedans, VEAM will continue participating in financial investments with joint ventures, such as TMV and Honda.

VNS