Competitiveness of Food Processing in Vietnam a Study of the Rice Coffee Seafood and Fruit and Vegetables Subsectors

COMPETITIVENESS OF FOOD PROCESSING IN VIET NAM: A STUDY OF THE RICE, COFFEE, SEAFOOD, AND FRUIT AND VEGETABLES SUBSECTORS

Prepared by Nicholas Minot International Food Policy Research Institute Washington, DC Prepared for: Development Strategies Institute Ministry of Planning and Investment Hanoi, Viet Nam and Medium-Term Industrial Strategy Project TF/VIE/95/A58 United Nations Industrial Development Organization Hanoi, Viet Nam 19 April 1998

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, the author would like to express appreciation for the excellent support provided by the Medium-Term Industrial Strategy (MTIS) project team, including the UNIDO project staff and the local consultants at the Development Strategy Institute (DSI) of the Ministry of Planning and Investment. Professor Ngo Thi Mai (General Director of the National Food Industries Research Institute and DSI consultant) and Nguyen Thi Nga (Researcher at DSI) were very helpful in providing information on the sector and logistical assistance with the interviews. Dr. Luu Bich Ho (President of the Development Strategy Institute) and other DSI staff provided useful feedback on the preliminary results of the study. On the UNIDO side, Lars Holmstrom (Chief Technical Advisor to the MTIS), was instrumental in coordinating the resources and people to make the best use of a four-week mission. His ideas and feedback, along with those of Muhammad Ather (UNIDO Associate Expert) were critical in focusing and clarifying the message of the report. Nguyen Nam Phuong (UNIDO Administrative Assistant) was impressively capable in providing administrative and logistical support. The author would also like to thank the interpreter/guides with whom he worked and traveled. In Ho Chi Minh City and Vung Tau, he benefitted from the assistance of Lo Thi Xien from the sub-National Institute of Agricultural Planning and Projection (sub-NIAPP), and in Buon Ma Thuot he worked with Nguyen Viet Lap (sub-NIAPP). Both helped make the time in...