Crops & Agricultural Products

Dong Thap province, Vietnam's largest fruit-growing area, is advancing standardization through more than 2,700 cultivation-plot codes and the linking of more than 130 agricultural cooperatives. A 28-household durian cooperative manages cadmium on its own. We lay out the on-the-ground changes that Japanese importers should note.

A former electrician who lost 100 million dong in eel farming has switched to frog farming in 70 tanks on 1,500 square meters in Nghe An province. We unpack the design that cycles every four months, along with the market price of Vietnamese edible frogs and the possibility of sourcing for Japan.

The Son Hoa cooperative in An Giang province brings together 1,800–2,000 hectares and, with XAG P100 drones and alternate irrigation, achieves 30–40% water savings and a 10% cut in input costs. We read, from a Japanese sourcing perspective, this "organized growing region" that sells on contract to the likes of Loc Troi.

A tilapia-processing line with a daily capacity of 200 tonnes has come online in Hung Yen province. We unpack what Vietnamese white fish, vertically integrated from seed stock to export, will bring to the Japanese sourcing front line.

A hamlet in Lang Son province grows 76 hectares of the medicinal sa nhan (amomum) under the forest, and 18 households now earn over 100 million VND a year. We interpret this move toward organized production that benefits Japanese crude-drug and spice sourcing.

The major Vietnamese livestock company Hung Nhon has signed a package of partnerships with European players such as De Heus, Bel Ga, and Big Dutchman. We read, from the perspective of Japanese meat sourcing, its move to build a closed loop of 3 million laying hens in Tay Ninh province with an investment of about 100 million euros.

Vina Clean Food, a major shrimp exporter in Soc Trang, has made its first shipment to Japan of monosex-tilapia fillets for sushi and sashimi. We unpack this new white-fish supply source, stood up in six months, from the perspective of Japanese seafood buyers.

An Giang province used about 2,100 warning phone calls over six months to urge fishing vessels that had lost communication to comply with fishing rules. We read how the tightened management of Vietnamese wild-caught seafood, moving toward the lifting of the EU yellow card, affects the reliability of Japanese sourcing.

Vietnam's fisheries directorate has announced an animal-welfare roadmap for shrimp and pangasius. As ASC, GlobalGAP, and BAP incorporate welfare standards, we lay out the points Japanese buyers should keep an eye on.

Indonesia's seafood-processing plants have expanded exports to China to 638 facilities. As competition with Vietnamese shrimp and pangasius intensifies in the Chinese market, we lay out the changes in sourcing structure that Japanese food buyers should read, and the business opportunities created by the shift toward Japan and high value addition.