The National Trade Promotion Programme in 2013 has mobilised all resources to support the export sector of Vietnam, including industries with big advantages such as textile, seafood, footwear, agricultural products, furniture, and arts and crafts. This contributes significantly to the growth of Vietnam's export value this year. Report by Vietnam Business Forum.

Promoting disbursement

According to the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, so far this year, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has approved four national trade promotion programmes, with 131 projects initiated by 71 units. The total trade promotion budget is 94 billion VND (4.4 million USD), all of which has been disbursed.

Vietrade further said that despite limited grants, Vietnam's export products have gained a stronger presence in traditional markets like the US, the EU, Japan and China.

At the same time, the programme has offered exporters more opportunities to return the markets of Russia and East European countries and promote market activities in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Latin America and Africa. It has also helped boost exports to the above-mentioned markets, as well as promoted trade, investment and empowered the national brand of Vietnam.

Along with the goals of boosting exports and restricting trade deficit, the national trade promotion programme in 2013 has continued its priorities over trade promotion in the domestic market, particularly forming distribution channels bringing Vietnamese products to rural areas, mountainous areas, border areas and remote areas.

The programme has actively enabled enterprises of all economic sectors and cooperatives to introduce affordable products and services of good quality to domestic consumers. This has contributed to the effectiveness of the campaign "Vietnamese prioritise Vietnamese goods", launched by the Politburo.

National Trade Promotion Programme 2014 to be approved soon

More difficulties are forecast for the economy and businesses in 2014. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has been actively coordinating with the other ministries and agencies to approve national trade promotion programme 2014 by the end of 2013.

The ministry will flexibly transfer funding from inactive trade promotion projects or residual funding of others to new feasible projects. Due to limited grants for funding, it has mobilised the main resources to the export sectors of Vietnam with big advantages such as fisheries, textiles, footwear, agricultural products, furniture, and arts and crafts.

In the coming time, the ministry will further strengthen support for exporters and provinces to exploit trade promotion activities and improve the effectiveness of promotion activities. The core activities engaged are technical exhibitions, exchange business delegations nationwide and abroad to contribute significantly to the fulfilment of export objectives, as well as the distribution of domestic goods in the domestic market, mountainous areas, border areas and islands.-VNA