Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and General Devpartment of Customs

Fruit and vegetable exports have hit a new record and forecast to bring home over 5.5 billion USD in 2023.

Vietnam posted 4.2 billion USD in fruit and vegetable exports during the first nine months, surging nearly 72% year on year and breaking the record of 3.81 billion in 2018, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. 

Meanwhile, the Vietnam Vegetable and Fruit Association (VINAFRUIT) estimated nine-month imports at about 1.46 billion USD, falling 0.1%.

 The biggest importers of Vietnam's fruits and vegetables are China, the US, the Republic of Korea (RoK), Japan, and the Netherlands. Among them, only shipments to the US dropped slightly but rose sharply in the others.

 Exports to China surpassed 2.26 billion USD, jumping 134% from a year earlier. This market was followed by the Netherlands (up 50%), the RoK (18%), and Japan (6%). China also topped foreign buyers of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables, accounting for almost 64%, followed by the US, the RoK, Japan, and the Netherlands, statistics show.

 Notably, durian continued to enjoy strong export growth. It generated more than 1.28 billion USD in export value during January - August, shooting up 700% from the same period last year.

A conference was held in Ho Chi Minh City on September 29 to discuss ways for securing sustainable dragon fruit development in Vietnam amid uncertainties in global markets.

Vietnam now has nearly 55,000ha of dragon fruit farming and harvests about 1.3 million tonnes each year. The favourable soil and climate conditions have enabled the country to produce dragon fruit on a large scale all year round. As a result, it used to be the world’s leader in terms of the farming area, output, and export value, said Nguyen Quoc Manh, head of the fruit tree division of the Crop Production Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

 However, after conquering several markets for a certain period of time, the fruit from Vietnam is facing a number of challenges, he noted, pointing out the foreign markets’ increasingly stringent standards for quality, food safety, and look of fresh dragon fruits, the emergence of many pests and diseases caused by climate change impacts, soaring fertiliser prices, the unsustainable connectivity between businesses and farmers, the limited number of companies involved in value chains to meet requirements of major and demanding markets, and the shortage of advanced processing, packaging, and preservation facilities.

Vietnam’s turnover of vegetable and fruit exports to China has seen double-digit growth since the beginning of the year, maintaining China's position as the largest importer of these products.

Talking to the media on the occasion of the recent 20th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (CABIS) in Nanning city, China's Guangxi province, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said Vietnam will continue to negotiate with China on protocols for imports and exports, especially watermelon, frozen durian, chili, medicinal herbs and citrus fruits.

 If these issues are taken care of, bilateral trade will be favourable and the exponential growth rate will continue, stated Tien.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam earned 3.45 billion USD from exporting vegetables and fruits in the first eight months of 2023, up 57.5% year-on-year.

 Currently, China remains Vietnam’s biggest veggie and fruit importer, accounting for 65% of the revenue.

 General Director of Chanh Thu Fruit Export - Import Group Joint Stock Company Ngo Tuong Vy said that although China has tightend control over technical barriers and food safety and hygiene, Vietnamese fruits, with increasingly high quality and competitive prices, are favoured by Chinese consumers.

 T.Huong

Source: VNA