Receiving fair trade certifications would give a big advantage to Vietnamese exporters of tea, coffee, cacao, spices and handicrafts in expanding their market, as heard at a recent workshop in Hanoi.

Fair trade certifications simplify business activities since they focuses on controlling the production process rather than checking the quality of products separately. Its registration fee is also less expensive than that of other certifications, said Director of the Vietnam Rural Industries Research and Development Institute Nguyen Bao Thoa.

A report on the potential of fair trade in the aforementioned commodities indicates that more than 95 percent of the products were sold through exports. The markets are expected to expand due to advantageous natural conditions, labour and material resources.

Under the EU-funded fair trade promotion project in Vietnam, enterprises will receive support to build business plans for the EU market and register for fair trade certifications. Participants will also receive training and have opportunities to join domestic and international trade fairs.

Nguyen Thu Thao, a representative from the Vietnam Handicraft Exporters Association, said all handicraft firms with certified fair trade standards in Vietnam could join exports at different scales. The sector’s export turnover reaches nearly 3 million USD per year and more than 65 percent of importers are fair trade customers, mainly the US, Europe, Japan, Australia and South America.

However, according to Nguyen Thi Hong Minh, an expert in fair trade promotion projects, only a few businesses have received fair trade certifications so far: five from the handicraft sector, 11 from coffee, three from tea and none of the spices and cacao firms have earned the label.

Additionally, the connection between fair trade recipients is weak, she noted, suggesting businesses set up a fair trade network at home and the State promote fair trade in promotion activities.-VNA