Japanese businesses to seek suppliers in Đà Nẵng

A local farm produce supplier introduces its products to Japanese businesses in a trade link meeting between businesses from Japan and local suppliers. Photo courtesy of Quỳnh Trâm

Belc Company, a Japan-based business operating a chain of retail stores in the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Saitama and Gunma prefecture, has been making approaches to farm suppliers and hi-tech and tourism products in Đà Nẵng City for the Japanese market.

The vice director of the city’s Department of Industry and Trade, Đỗ Thị Quỳnh Trâm confirmed that the Japanese company and representative of the Japan-Việt Nam Business Association, were undertaking a market survey in the city in seeking sources for its retail stores in Japan.

She said Đà Nẵng earned an import-export turn-over of US$2.8 billion, of which Japan made a 30 per cent share, in the first 10 months of 2024.

Japan is a major export market of Đà Nẵng’s products including seafood, garments, electronics, fine arts, wooden chips and toys. In total, Japanese businesses have invested more than $1 billion in Đà Nẵng – 25 per cent of the total FDI investment capital, she said.

President at Belc company, Issei Harashima, said the company would import products from Việt Nam to supply its chain of supermarkets in Japan.

A local farmer in Túy Loan village of Đà Nẵng collects safe farm produce at a farm in the rural area.VNS Photo Công Thành

He said Belc wished to establish trading links between products from Đà Nẵng and Việt Nam, offering them to Japanese consumers.

Belc company, who currently manages 142 retail stores of food and grocery items, sundry items, daily necessities and processed food, has imported processed coffee from Việt Nam for its supermarket system, and shrimp would be next target of the company.

Local businesses also introduced rice, agarwood extract oil, ground nut oil, coffee, cinnamon and coconut cake at the business meeting.

Chairman of the Japan-Việt Nam Business Association (JVBA), Shuichi Gomi, who led the market survey trip in Đà Nẵng along with Belc, ASV Japan company and Co-operative Ashi, said that many Japanese businesses have been looking at Việt Nam’s supply chains, but information of Vietnamese products within the Japanese market has been limited.

He said JVBA will help build business connections and trade promotions between Đà Nẵng and central Việt Nam with Japan.

Last year, the handmade fish sauce ‘Hương Làng Cổ’ (Ancient Village Savour) was the only representative product from Đà Nẵng participating in the Foodex-Japan 2023 – the largest international food and beverage exhibition in Asia.

The Japan-Việt Nam Gastronomy Association said fish sauce from Nam Ô had qualified in terms of culture, natural landscape promotion and food safety for showcasing at the food and beverage exhibition.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry, Đà Nẵng’s 50 farms and co-operatives produce a total of 800 tonnes of agricultural products every day for sale.

Akurushi supermarket, a Japanese-style trader has been operating in Đà Nẵng, Hà Nội and HCM City for 25 years, while Đà Nẵng and Hội An are home to dozens of Japanese restaurants.

In other organic food activities, Mena Gourmet market and partners including Ngọc Duy Group and Đạ Dream farm in Đà Lạt City have inked a strategic partnership to introduce and sell high-quality agricultural products from Đà Lạt to the company’s nationwide distribution network. — VNS

vietnamnews.vn