Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, has played a key role in strengthening trade links in perishables between Vietnam and the UAE.  

Over the last year, the carrier has facilitated a near five-fold increase in the volumes of exports of fruits including rambutans and lychees from Vietnam to Dubai, said a statement from the airlines.

Vietnam is an important market for food exports and in 2016, Vietnam’s agro-forestry-fishery exports were valued at over $32 billion, it said.

As an important global facilitator of trade, Emirates SkyCargo has been working closely with Vietrade- Vietnam’s Trade Promotion Agency to understand the requirements of Vietnamese exporters and to help develop export opportunities for Vietnamese produce in international markets specifically in the UAE and other parts of the Middle East, it added.

As a result of the collaborative efforts between Emirates SkyCargo and Vietrade, the volume of perishables exports from Vietnam to Dubai has increased considerably touching a record of close to 110 tonnes in January 2017, said a statement.

Ravishankar Mirle, Emirates vice president, cargo commercial, Far East and Australasia, said: “Our company has started operations in Vietnam in 2008 and has since then played an important role in the growing trade between Vietnam and the UAE.”

“By working closely with Vietrade and by building upon our expertise in shipping perishables, we developed air freight solutions that have helped increase the exports of premium fruits and vegetables from Vietnam to Dubai,” he said.

“We will work with our customers and stakeholders to promote and develop new trade lanes for exports from Vietnam to global markets,” he added.

Pham Binh Dam, ambassador of Vietnam to the UAE, said: “Vietnam has huge comparative advantages in agriculture. That is why we requested our company to position its product offering to facilitate exports of perishable products by air freight to capitalise on the country’s vast potential.”

“We are happy to see the sharp increase in volume in the past year and will continue to work with Vietnamese producers and exporters for their greater market penetration. We thank our company for listening to us and for the great cooperation,” Dam said.

Emirates SkyCargo offers exporters in Vietnam a weekly capacity of over 580 tonnes through 18 flights including four weekly freighter services. The launch of the daily passenger flight from Dubai to Hanoi on the Boeing 777-300ER, offering up to 20 tonnes of cargo capacity per flight from July 1, will further support trade from Vietnam to other markets through the airline’s global network of 155 destinations in 83 countries, said a statement.

In addition to perishables Emirates SkyCargo also helps export electronics and marine products from Vietnam, it stated.

Emirates SkyCargo operates a modern fleet of 259 aircraft including 15 freighters- 13 Boeing 777-Fs and two B747-400ERFs. The carrier recently launched Emirates SkyFresh- a suite of solutions that help maintain the freshness of perishables and fresh consumables during transportation.

The airlines operates state-of-the-art cool chain facilities at its Emirates SkyCentral cargo hubs at Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central including over 25,000 sq m of dedicated temperature controlled storage space and reefer trucks operating 24/7 between Dubai World Central and Dubai International airport, it added. – TradeArabia News Service