Fruit and vegetables are export highlights

Vietnamese fruit has been exported to foreign markets

High export turnover

According to statistics, fruit and vegetable exports reached US$2.5 billion in 2016, an increase of 30 percent compared to 2015. The Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Agency of Foreign Trade said that while several Vietnamese key agricultural exports saw a fall, fruit and vegetables maintained stable growth and became a spotlight in exports last year.

Fruits and vegetables have continuously seen gigantic growth in recent years to take part in the list of Vietnamese exports that have surpassed US$1 billion in the export value. The Ministry of Industry and Trade forecasted the export growth of fruit and vegetables of around 10 percent, from US$1.8 billion in 2015 to US$2 billion in 2016. However, thanks to market expansion, good quality and reasonable selling prices, fruit and vegetables witnessed a 30-percent growth in the past year.

China was Vietnam’s biggest fruit and vegetable importer in 2016, accounting for 70.4 percent of its total export turnover, followed by the Republic of Korea, the US and Japan.

Vietnam has also promoted fruit and vegetable exports to new markets, especially fastidious markets such as the US, the EU, Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Vietnam’s litchis and mangoes were exported to Australia and the US last year, while star apples and bananas were allowed to enter the US and Japan, respectively. Vietnam exported more than 10,000 tonnes of fresh fruits to high-requirement markets such as 2,600 tonnes, 1,000 tonnes, 900 tonnes and 600 tonnes of dragon fruit to the US, Japan, Canada and the Republic of Korea; 350 tonnes of mangoes to Japan and the Republic of Korea; and nearly 1,200 tonnes of longans to the US. Although these figures were few, it helped diversify export markets for Vietnamese fruits and vegetables.

Solutions to increase export turnover

Potential for Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports remains huge. While several Vietnamese key agricultural exports have seen a fall, fruit and vegetables maintain export growth. Therefore, the further export market expansion will help increase revenues to US$5 billion per year in the future.

Deputy Director Phan Thi Dieu Ha of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Agency of Foreign Trade said that Vietnam’s deeper integration into the world economy will offer more opportunities for fruit and vegetable exports due to tariff reduction. However technical barriers such as quarantine regulations, food safety and hygiene will increase, requiring Vietnamese businesses to be more cautious.

Nguyen Hoang Thuy, Head of Vietnam Trade Office in Australia said that a limited shelf life and high delivery costs are posing difficulties for Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports. Therefore, the state and scientists need to pay attention to post-harvest technologies, contributing to ensuring product quality and increasing the competitiveness.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will concretize the Agricultural Sector Development Strategy by 2020 with a vision to 2030 for fruit and vegetables. Each locality will specialize in the growing of one or two key crops in order to meet the needs of processing plants.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade will focus on overcoming technical barriers and accelerating the review of pest risk analysis reports to promote exports of grapefruit, durian, mangosteen and water apple to China; mango, longan, grapefruit and rambutan to Chinese-Taipei; red flesh dragon fruit and litchi to Japan.

In the long term, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will cooperate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to promote branding for some key pieces of fruit.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency Director Bui Huy Son said that some pieces of fruit have received brand protection certificates in Vietnam, including Nam Roi Hoang Gia pomelo, Chin Hoa durian and Lo Ren star apple. In the coming time, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will promote branding for high-quality pieces of fruit to increase the competitiveness of those products in the market.