VIETNAM’S AGRICULTURAL EXPORT POTENTIAL AND LOGISTICS CAPACITY
In 2023, China spent over USD 24.4 billion importing agricultural products, with Vietnam being the second-largest agricultural exporter to China after Thailand. This is the result of Vietnam and China signing Protocols for many types of official agricultural exports (bananas, dragon fruit, mangoes, watermelons, longans, rambutans, jackfruits, etc.), opening up many opportunities for Vietnamese goods to penetrate this large market. China will continue to be a potential market for Vietnamese agricultural products to increase market share and export value.
Currently, however, these products are mainly transported and exported by road through northern border gates such as Tan Thanh, Huu Nghi, Chi Ma (Lang Son), Mong Cai (Quang Ninh), etc. Notably, at the border gates, there is no guarantee of agricultural product staging areas, there is a lack of cold storage systems, coordination is inadequate, and there is congestion during peak seasons, causing fruit damage, increasing logistics costs, and reducing competitiveness in the market. This is a difficult problem for agricultural export businesses, especially for fruit groups grown in the South Central, Central, and Central Highlands regions with long transportation distances.
Grasping the potential and sharing the difficulties with businesses, THILOGI has invested in vehicles and equipment, upgraded infrastructure, and developed a full-package logistics service model from transportation, export procedures, quarantine, customs declaration, warehousing, storage, etc. serving the export of agricultural products (fruits, frozen goods, etc.) by specialized reefer containers through Chu Lai port; creating favorable conditions for official agricultural trade to reach major markets such as China, the US, EU, etc.
DEVELOPING A LOGISTICS SYSTEM, CONTRIBUTING TO ENHANCING THE VALUE OF VIETNAMESE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
To enhance the value of the agricultural product chain, logistics services must be integrated and comprehensive; businesses need to break away from the traditional way of exporting by road, and promote multimodal transportation to optimize costs, time, and improve the quality of goods.
As a business connecting agricultural export products in the Central – Central Highlands region, Laos, and Cambodia, THILOGI focuses on investing and developing a comprehensive logistics service model, linking transportation operations from road to seaborne and providing port services (ship pilotage, stowage, tallying, warehouse – yard, shipping agency, customs procedures, etc.).
THILOGI owns a fleet of specialized refrigerated trucks and containers (40, 45 feet) with over 200 prime movers, ensuring that agricultural products are preserved at a suitable temperature according to the regulations of each type. At Chu Lai port, the cold storage system is built according to international standards with an area of over 12,500 m2 with a capacity of 1,000 refrigerated containers, meeting the storage and export needs of customers.
In the near future, Chu Lai port will put into operation a new 50,000-ton wharf with a modern loading and unloading equipment system; deploy the e-Port software, helping customers update the status of ship data and actual goods 24/7.
At the same time, the port focuses on building a market database, understanding customer needs, and cooperating with many international shipping lines to stabilize freight rates, develop new shipping routes connecting directly from Chu Lai port to major ports in the world, and increase the frequency to 4 trips per week.
Currently, the service fee at the port is 10 – 30% lower than that of other ports in the region, supporting agricultural export businesses with optimal costs.
Currently, THILOGI is completing the logistics network by road (transit station system, depot), sea, focusing on Chu Lai port, helping businesses reduce transportation costs, reduce delivery transit time, ensure cargo safety, and minimize damage. With the close connection between road and sea, THILOGI has advantages in attracting domestic and foreign (Laos, Cambodia) sources of goods to Chu Lai port.
With the implementation of many solutions to increase logistics capacity for agricultural purposes, Chu Lai port is gradually affirming its role as a specialized port for reefer containers serving agricultural exports, solving the problem of logistics costs for businesses, and enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnamese agricultural products in the world market.
