Mr. Luong Le Phuong -Vice Minister of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

Mr. Than Thanh Vu -Chairman of Sao Khue Investment and Trade Promotion Organization

VIETNAMESE DELEGATION TO RICE DUBAI 2011

31st October, 2011

3:00 p.m, Room 2, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

• 36 representatives of Vietnamese large rice exporting and producing businesses had a meeting before departure
• Introducing every member of Vietnamese delegation and briefing work schedule at Rice Dubai 2011.
• Mr. Luong Le Phuong, Vice Ministor of Agriculture and Rural Development, gave a view of the world’s rice market and updated news in Thailand. He judged that Vietnam has a great opportunity at the moment to become the world’s largest rice exporter. He also thought that world’s rice prices would probably increase in the future and encourage most businesses should take more care in collecting data and information on the rice market, do not rush in pricing process. Coming to Rice Dubai 2011 this time, every member should collect as much information as possible. There are a number of rice buyers and importers coming to this trade fair, therefore, Vietnamese businesses should share information, support and join together to get the valuable opportunity.
• All members agreed with Mr. Luong Le Phuong and believed that this is the best convenient point of time for Vietnam. Vietnamese Rice is known a lot by the Middle East Region, which pushes Vietnam gradually out of Thailand’s effect. If through the Middle East region, a dynamic economy area, Vietnamese Rice becomes well-known all over the world, it also opens the gateway for other agricultural and aquatic products of Vietnam.
  

  

1st November, 2011

• 10:20 am, Thai Airways took off to Dubai, taking “ 36 Vietnamese Rice marketing directors” – a member of delegation just joked.
• - On the flight, Thai flight attendants, made fun when seeing RICE Vietnam Mission cards of our delegation: “ Thai Airways took Vietnam to occupy rice market of Thailand”.

  

• At transit via Bangkok, Vice Ministor, Mr. Luong Le Phuong, along with Mr. Huynh The Nang – Standing Vice Chairman of An Giang Province, and I, had the same opinion of “ why don’t we hold a conference and International RICE Vietnam trade show and invite all exhibitors attending Rice Dubai to Vietnam?”, “ Vietnam not only has rice while the Middle East and North Africa also need other goods. By the way, we can popularize other products at the same time”. Three of us agreed with each other that we would not only talk about rice at Rice Dubai 2011 but also introduce some more products of Vietnam and do more researching on this matter after Rice Dubai 2011.
• The flight took us totally 12 hours, including the time of transit via Suvarnabhumi Bangkok International Airport, Thailand to land at Dubai at 8:45 pm local time (11:45 pm, Vietnam). Then, we spent more 2 hours to go through immigration.
• Get out of the airport and come to hotel at 11:15pm. Have dinner and summarize work scheldule on 2nd November, 2011.

  

2nd November, 2011-VIETNAMESE AGRICULTURAL STATUS!

• 7:30 am. Mr. Tran Ngoc Thach – AEP at Dubai came to hotel for welcoming Vietnamese delegation. He said, the Middle East and North Africa region is a large agricutural product market with Dubai, its trade and distribution center of all countries in the region with modern infrastructure and preferential polices to lead UAE to become the world’s commerce, finance and tourism heart.
• 8:00 am. Our delegation was divided into 2 groups::
  • Group 1: 10 members would go to the trade fair location to set up booths at Rice Dubai.
  • Group 2: 26 Vietnam businesses’ reprentatives would meet UAE’s leading businesses

    

• 9:00am: Have a meeting with F.A.M Holdings of Dr. Faisal Ali Mousa – the founder and chairman of Rice Dubai.
  • Dr. Faisal welcomed Vietnamese delegation in a courteous atmosphere. He briefly introduced F.A.M Group and his family’s ALI MOUSA & SONS Group managed by his father. This Group was founded 50 years ago, becoming the UAE’s leading multidiscipline group with annual revenue over USD4 billion, operating in many sectors such as construction, raw material, pharmaceutical, finance, real estate, tourism and agriculture. In agriculture field, his family’s AL Roward brand has most market segments in the Middle East region. In 2010, import revenue of F.A.M was over USD 1 billion.

    

  • Dr. Faisal said that he had strong interest in cooperating to develop agricuture investment and trade with Vietnam. He would also take a delegation from the Middle East region visiting Vietnam after Rice Dubai to discuss cooperation in agriculture sector and the preparation of establishment of UAE-Vietnam fund.
  • He introduced the relationship with SAOKHUE and appreciated SAOKHUE’s effort to take Vietnam Rice Mission to Dubai. He would like to become a partner of SAOKHUE in setting up Vietnamese agriculture product distribution center at Dubai.
  • Mr. Luong Le Phuong, Vice Ministor of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, strongly agreed with Dr. Faisal in taking leading agriculture groups of UAE and the Middle East to Vietnam to found UAE-Vietnam fund. Misnistry of Agriculture and Rural Development would support as much as possible. He stressed that Vietnam has not only rice but also a large variety of agricultural and aquatic products.
• 10:00am Dr. FAISAL ALI MOUSA and SAOKHUE signed agreement about establishing Vietnamese agricultural product supporting and distributing center to UAE and nations in the MENA (the Middle East and North Africa), located in Dubai.

  

  (from the left: Mr Ngo Khai Hoan – Vietnam’s Counselor at UAE, Mr. Luong Le Phuong – Vice Ministor of Misnistry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Thach – Vietnam’s Ambassador at UAE, Mr. Thamer Khaled Yousef – Business Development Director of FAM Group, Mr. Syed Ziauddin Razvi – Senior Advisor of FAM Group, Dr. FAISAL ALI MOUSA – FAM Group’s Chairman and Mr. Than Thanh Vu – SAOKHUE’s Chairman)

• After agreement, I was very proud of being a member with diminutive contribution in developing strengths and potentials of Vietnam into international trade environment. The Ambassador, Vice Misnistor and all delegation’s members cheered on the cooperation and hoped that the presence of this center would be improve competitive position of Vietnamese products in the MENA, helping to protect trade benefits of Vietnam.
• 10:30 am UAE National Broadcasting interviewed Vice Ministor, Mr. Luong Le Phuong on topic: “ What are the reason and purpose which encourage Vietnam to take part in Rice Dubai 2011 this time?”. “ This trip is to find out more about your market, demand as well as develop relationship with businesses in the region and build the foundation for Vietnamese agricultural products”..

  

  Vietnamese businesses were setting booths for Rice Dubai 2011, opened on 3rd November.

• 11:30 am Delegation coming to JEBEL ALI Free Zone (called Mina Jabal Ali)
  • JAFZA (http://www.jafza.ae/en/about-us/jafza-facts-at-a-glance.html) has more than 6,200 companies of over 120 nations, 114 companies in Fortune 500. JAFZA is the workplace of more than 1500 employees, the house of 50,000 people and contributes over one fourth of GDP to Dubai, makes up 50% national export revenue and 20% of FDI to UAE. JAFZA allows setting up 100% foreign-owned companies within 3 weeks, 0% income tax, no limit in recruiting foreigners, connecting to international habours, airports and most of highways in The MENA, etc.

    

  • Mr. TALAL AL HASHIMI – General Director of EZW (Economic Zones World) and Mr. ADIL AL ZAROONI – Senior Deputy Chairman of JAFZA, along with management of JAFZA welcomed Vietnamese delegation in a courteous atmosphere.

    

    

  • Head of JAFZA introduced JAFZA and its role in trade supporting and developing in UAE and the MENA. He stressed JAFZA maybe used as an office, warehouse for Vietnamese export products to UAE and all nations in the region.
  • Mr. TALAL raised JAFZA’s opinion on establishing “ Vietnamese business community in JAFZA” – this means JAFZA spends a special area with special supports for Vietnamese businesses to set up office and distribution station. He wanted to find a partner in Vietnam to implement this thought.
  • Mr. Luong Le Phuong and The Ambassador responded to this idea by introducing SAOKHUE on behalf of Vietnam continuously to deal with Head of JAFZA on developing idea of “ Vietnamese business community in JAFZA” – this would be a center distributing Vietnamese products to the MENA region. JAFZA would take advantage of its influence and relationships to introduce trade partners and exporters, investors to businesses in this community.
  • Mr. TALA and ADIL privately said to me that he wanted to have a meeting with me in the time of being at Dubai to discuss more cooperation between JAFZA and SAOKHUE in carrying this idea out.
• 1:00 pmMeet Mr. MAHENDRA PATEL, Chairman of GEAL Group and take a tour around GEAP’s large agricultural product warehouse.
  • GEAP is a multidisciplinary group found in 1974, starting in steel, cement and material sectors in UAE & OMAN. At the moment, GEAP operates in many kinds of sector from raw materials, construction, investment, plastic, transportation, distribution, food, fashion and entertainment. It has 5 major companies including GEAP International (UAE) LLC., G2 International LLC., GEAP Goods, GULF Shipchandlers LLC., Plastspay (UAE) LLC.(www.geapgroup.com)
  • The billionaire Mahendra has a building in JAFZA and wanted to use it as a Vietnamese product distribution center. He dealt with the Ambassador and Vice Ministor, along with Vietnamese businesses that Kien Giang and An Giang Provinces would distribute Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products into the MENA region through distribution network of GEAP FOODS. All of Vietnamese members were very interested in this suggestion.
  • Mr. Mahendra offered Vice Ministor, Ambassador, deputy chairman of An Giang, Kien Giang and me to have friendly lunch at his house – a villa much bigger than a 5 star resort! During the lunch, he talked about his intention to use his building as a Vietnamese product distribution center one more time and offered us a breakfast with him on 4th November for more discussion.

    

    
    

    

  • 4:30 pm (2 hours later than schedule). All members took a Safari tour to UAE’s desert to ride camels, watched belly dance and enjoyed Arabian traditional foods with a comfortable mood.(photo of Safari)

Up to now, there were more than 100 businesses of IRAN, IRAG, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, Kowait, Quatar, etc. asking to meet Vietnamese delegation on 3rd and 4th November. Hope that this trip would bring a good result. We could see many positive signals just over 1 day before Rice Dubai opening. Rice Dubai’s organizer estimated there were about 10,000 visitors – a great occasion to popularize Vietnamse Rice!

3rd November, 2011 - THE FIRST DAY AT RICE DUBAI 2011

• 10:30am . Vietnamese delegation had come to trade show 1 hour earlier to finish booths set-up before Rice Dubai 2011 opened.



Overview of Rice Dubai 2011 before opening hour.

Binh Minh Foods Company and Viet Tin Company’s booths	An Giang’s booth

Mr. Than Thanh Vu – SAOKHUE Corp and Mr. Tran Thanh Nam – Standing Deputy Chairman of Kien Giang People Committee	Kien Giang’s booth
Welcome the first visitor

• Vietnam’s Pavilion was near Cambodia’s one. Vietnam has 6 booths belonged to 12 companies. Thailand, Pakistan, India, Brazil, etc. also have booths at this trade show.



Two directors of Kien Giang rice exporting companies are preparing samples and leaflets at Kien Giang’s booths





One booth of Indian company.



Mr. Tran Ngoc Thach and Mr. Luong Le Phuong checked the preparation of each Vietnamese booth

• 11:30 am. Rice Dubai opened. Minitor of UAE Ministry of Trade, HE Shaikha Lubna Al Qasimi along with Officials of Ministry of Trade and Representatives of all countries taking part in Rice Dubai 2011visited each booth respectively.



The Ministor, Officals and all representatives visited each booth

• The first visitor to Vietnam’s pavilion was Mr. Khalid Mahmood Al-Zadjali – Head of Commodities Purchasing and Contracts of The Public Authority For Stores & Food Reserve – Sultanate of Oman. He was very pleased to meet Vietnamese delegation and want to develop the relationship with Vietnamese exporters. He was also reponsible for food buying and preservation process for OMAN. The Vice Minister, Mr. Luong Le Phuong and officals of Kien Giang and An Giang invited him to visit Vietnam in the near future



Mr. Khalid visited Vietnamese’s Pavilion

• After opening, Vietnamese’s Pavilion welcomed exporters from nations in the region – YEMEN, IRAN, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, …Lots of visitors were from UAE – this proved that UAE seemed to be the place where most of Rice businesses operated in the MENA. In 2010, total rice import revenue of UAE was USD 2 billion – the world’s biggest rice market. (http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/business/2011/November/business_November68.xml§ion=business&col= ).



Khách hàng đến gian hàng VN

• 12:30 pm. The Minister of UAE Ministry of Trade had a meeting with Vietnam’s Leaders. At this meeting, she stressed the role of UAE in rice market and the presence of Vietnam would expand competitive position of Vietnamese Rice in the region. She also raised ambition of UAE in building and developing the relationship betweeen UAE and Vietnam. She suggested Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for supporting them in investment into food sector in Vietnam – in order to ensure the supply, and recommended Vietnam in establishing a Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic product distribution center in UAE. Mr Luong Le Phuong agreed with this idea and recommended Vietnam would need UAE’s support in warehouses, processing and distributing process, etc. Mr Luong Le Phuong introduced 2 representatives of Kien Giang and An Giang as 2 leading provinces in rice exporting and producing field and other aquatic products as well. He also invited her to visited Vietnam in the nearest future.



(from the right: Mr. Than Thanh Vu – SAOKHUE Corp., Mr. Ngo Khai Hoan – the Counselor of Vietnam in UAE, Mr. Luong Le Phuong – Vice Ministor of Vietnam Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development, Ms ShaikhaLubna Al Qasimi – Ministor of UAE Ministry of Trade, UAE Officials, Dr. Faisal Ali Mousa – Chairman of Rice Dubai)



Vietnamese delegation had some gitfs for UAE’s Officials