Imported Chinese toothpicks dominate domestic market (30/09)
30/09/2010 - 10 Lượt xem
The Sai Gon Customs Department Zone 1 reported that during the first eight months of the year, 911 tonnes of bamboo toothpicks were imported through the Cat Lai Port, 200 tonnes in August alone.
The imports reached a turn over of US$125,000.
Tran Van Phuoc, owner of a company that imports bamboo toothpicks in HCM City, said the imported products only cost VND2.6 million ($135) per tonne, which was half the price of their locally made counterparts.
"Because of the huge price difference, many businesses prefer to buy imported products," he said.
Chinese toothpicks are more diverse in price, packaging and appearance, with prices ranging from VND2,300 ($0.12) to VND23,000 ($1.2) for 10 packages.
Nguyen Lan Huong, a customer in Tan Binh District said "Chinese toothpicks are white, smooth and clean, while some Vietnamese-made products do not look clean and are even rough."
A representative from Tre Viet Enterprise in Central Highlands’ Lam Dong Province said that Vietnamese producers often made toothpicks manually while Chinese companies used more advanced technology.
"Our labour is more expensive and the products do not look as good as Chinese ones," he said.
Leader Vu Ngoc Quynh of Dong A, another toothpick producer, holds a different view, however.
He said "toothpicks are most frequently used in restaurants in Sai Gon, not in households, and restaurant owners choose Chinese toothpicks because they are cheaper".
"We have lost about 30-40 per cent of our customers this year," Quynh said, adding that each month their company sells about four tonnes of toothpicks.
To compete with the imported toothpicks, Quynh said his company was planning to produce a cheaper variety to meet the needs of different types of customers.
"We will try to cut down on costs for large packages to restaurants and supermarkets," he said.
Source: VietNamNet/Viet Nam News
