If a picture is truly worth 1,000 words, the opening photo depicting a powdered milk can equipped with electronic article surveillance (EAS) says everything about the value store managers in Southeast Asia place on the wholesome nutrition found in milk.
For those of us in the U.S. or Canada, we would see these security EAS measures most often on clothes. That isn't the case in Vietnam and its neighboring countries; it's about providing quality food for children.
The average monthly wage in Vietnam is between $160 and $200 per month. And as shown in the price tags of the first three images of the 10-photo slide show, Vietnamese consumers pay the U.S. equivalent of $19 to $24 per can of milk for their children or expecting moms (the U.S. dollar to Vietnamese Dong conversion is $1 for $21,000).
While the math conversion may cause most eyes to glaze over, this simple fact shouldn't - Vietnamese consumers are willing to pay 12 to 15 percent of their monthly income for one can of powdered milk that could nourish their son or daughter for 10 days or fortify the diet of an expecting mother for 10 to 20 days.
Food is simply a precious resource, and milk is a treasured staple.
The second half of the slide show captures the Vietnamese's enthusiasm for U.S. food, in particular dairy, which is its leading U.S. agricultural import. The images depict the ribbon cutting for the U.S. exhibit at the Vietnam Food and Hotel Trade Show. Remember, this took place just 20 years after the U.S. and Vietnam governments reopened lines of communication.
Dignitaries at the ribbon cutting included: Philip Karsting, Administrator of USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service; Rena Bitter, Consulate General of the United States of America; and Mark Dries, USDA's Counselor for Agricultural Affairs. Shown in the sixth image with Dries, Karsting and Bitter (left to right) are U.S. dairy farmers Harold Shaulis (Pennsylvania), John Brubaker (Idaho) and Kima Simonson (Washington).
The remaining images show Vietnamese people enjoying good-tasting American dairy products. And, of course, we end with an image of scooters. In a nation with some 90-plus million people in an area the size of Wisconsin and Illinois, Vietnam only sold 142,000 automobiles last year. However, motorbikes rule the roads. I estimated there were 1,750 parked at the show that day.
To view related items about the recent U.S. Dairy Export Council Trade Mission to Southeast Asia, follow these links:
- Southeast Asia employs many U.S. dairy cows
- Protein, protein, protein is trending
- Vietnam, from 91st to 12th in just 20 years
- TPP approval could employ more U.S. cows
(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2015
May 4, 2015
