The event was co-organized by the HCM City Department for Industry and Trade, the Trade Promotion Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the ASEAN-Japan Promotion Centre on Trade, Investment and Tourism (AJC).

Participants emphasized the need to increase added value of Vietnamese timber and rattan products for the Japanese market.

AJC's recent statistics showed that timber and interior products account for a large proportion of Vietnamese exports to Japan. However, Vietnamese businesses have not yet fully tapped their export potential to Japan – a market which imports timber products worth US$1.5 billion a year.

According to the Vietnam-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (VJEPA), about 92 percent of the products are exempt from tax when they are imported into each other's markets during the 2010-2020 period.

Japan has also committed to granting incentives for Vietnamese businesses who export seafood and agro-forestry products to Japan./.

Source : www.vietnamexportnews.com