As global economic integration deepens, the Dak Lak PPC, together with the local business community, has proactively implemented a range of programmes to strengthen international cooperation and maximise benefits from free trade agreements (FTAs).

Since the beginning of the year, the PPC and local enterprises have regularly hosted foreign delegations coupled with major international corporations to discuss and agree on long-term cooperation orientations.

At a meeting with the Dak Lak PPC, IDH - the Sustainable Trade Initiative, a Netherlands-based non-governmental organisation operating in Viet Nam, affirmed that Dak Lak and its coffee products remain a top priority for IDH. Following the conclusion of the 2021 - 2025 Sustainable Landscape Programme, IDH is developing a new programme to support the sustainable development of Dak Lak’s coffee sector for 2026 - 2030. Priorities include developing sustainable raw material areas and large-scale regenerative agriculture, while promoting traceability and establishing carbon monitoring together with evaluation systems.

Singaporean enterprises learning about products of Dak Lak enterprises at a business networking conference held in Buon Ma Thuot Ward.

Dak Lak is also actively seeking cooperation opportunities in the Middle East through meetings with a UAE delegation visiting the province as well as a working trip to Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The delegation met with leading UAE corporations along with enterprises operating in energy, transhipment ports, petroleum storage, AI, trade, agriculture and logistics. Representatives of UAE corporations affirmed their commitment to continuing discussions to explore opportunities to introduce Dak Lak products into distribution networks in the UAE as well as across the Middle East.

The delegation also met with the Vietnamese Embassy and Trade Office in the UAE alongside attended the sixth session of the Viet Nam - UAE Intergovernmental Committee. Both sides agreed on a range of measures to connect business associations and promote investment in renewable energy, digital technology, seaport infrastructure combined with industrial parks, while advancing customs cooperation, visa exemptions and other bilateral mechanisms.

Connecting with potential markets

Recently, in Guangxi Province, China, the Dak Lak Department of Industry and Trade, in coordination with the Vietnamese Consulate General in Nanning and the Guangxi Department of Commerce, organised a trade promotion alongside business networking conference for agricultural and food products. Fifteen Dak Lak enterprises together with more than 50 Guangxi enterprises held direct discussions on production processes, preservation, logistics and payment methods while signing five memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on product distribution.

The Dak Lak Department of Industry and Trade delegation posing for a commemorative photo with South Korean partners.

According to Mr. Li Shuo, Deputy Director of the Guangxi Department of Commerce, border-crossing systems and transport infrastructure connecting the two sides are becoming increasingly well developed, facilitating trade. Guangxi has pledged to continue improving its business environment while promoting bilateral trade expansion.

Beyond established markets, Dak Lak recently sent a delegation to the Jeonju International Fermented Food Expo in Jeonbuk Province, South Korea. The trip also included business networking with trade promotion agencies, organisations supporting enterprises and importers’ associations, with the aim of boosting exports, keeping abreast of consumer trends and meeting South Korean market requirements.

In parallel with efforts to expand cooperation alongside develop markets, the Dak Lak provincial authorities and enterprises are actively capitalising on the benefits of FTAs signed by Viet Nam.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu An, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, Dak Lak enterprises need to focus on improving product quality, adopting deep-processing technologies, strengthening traceability, meeting market standards while building brands. The provincial authorities and relevant agencies remain committed to supporting enterprises throughout production, as well as in business networking, trade promotion and efforts to capitalise on FTA benefits, with a view to expanding agricultural product sales along with boosting exports.

Translated by KHUONG THAO