Vietnamese bananas accelerate in Japan, market share increases 14 times after 5 years
On August 9, Nikkei Asia published an article "Vietnam dominates banana market share in Japan", saying that Japanese consumers are seeing more and more Vietnamese bananas on shelves.
According to a VNA reporter in Tokyo, trade statistics show that in 2024, Japan imported 33,000 tonnes of bananas from Vietnam, nearly 14 times more than in 2019; market share increased from 0.2% to 3.2%. In July 2025 alone, the amount of Vietnamese bananas exported to the Tokyo area more than doubled compared to the same period last year. Although still accounting for a small proportion, this is considered a breakthrough compared to Philippine bananas, which dominate the market.
Talking to reporters of the Industry and Trade Newspaper, Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (VINAFRUIT), said that there are three main reasons why Vietnamese bananas have increased their competitiveness in many Asian markets, including the Japanese market. First, the quality and price are competitive compared to bananas in the region, including those from the Philippines. Second, we have an advantage in logistics in transportation. Third, Vietnamese banana varieties are resistant to Panama wilt disease, a dangerous disease that is threatening many banana growing areas in the world.
According to Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, not only Japanese market, but also Vietnam's banana exports to the Chinese market have grown very well. Vietnamese bananas have surpassed Philippine bananas to occupy the largest market share in China's banana imports.
“Since the beginning of the year, Vietnamese bananas have accounted for nearly 50% of China's import market share thanks to improvements in quality, design and logistics advantages. Meanwhile, Philippine banana production has decreased due to storms, diseases and transportation difficulties,” said Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, adding that in 2024, bananas will bring Vietnam 378 million USD from exports and it is expected that this item will soon join the billion-dollar fruit export club.
Continue to improve quality, maintain export market
In the Chinese market, bananas are one of the favorite fruits, a popular dessert for Chinese consumers. This is also an ingredient for processing many other dishes such as cakes, jams;…. In the Japanese market, the advantage of Vietnamese bananas is also reinforced by the import tax from Vietnam to this market, which is currently at 5.4% and will gradually decrease to 0% by 2028 under the CPTPP Agreement, promising to expand opportunities for Vietnamese agricultural products in this demanding market.
Although the world market space for Vietnamese bananas is very large. However, according to Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, the most important issue is still quality. As in the Japanese market, bananas exported to this market must meet very high standards for product quality and food hygiene and safety, along with stable output. As for China, this market also has domestic bananas. Therefore, to compete, we should avoid the domestic harvest season with the harvest time falling from July to October in China.
Sharing the same opinion on this issue, Mr. Vo Quan Huy, Director of Huy Long An Company Limited, said that when growing bananas for export, the important factor is the production process, and businesses are required to control the level of pesticide residues, not only for markets such as Japan, Korea, but also China. As long as the residue is close to the maximum allowable residue level, customers will respond. This is a story that must be paid close attention to.
In an increasingly competitive and strict fruit market in terms of quality, developing with high technology and maintaining a single quality standard, throughout from the variety to the market, will be the way for businesses in particular and the banana industry in general to maintain and expand the market.
From a business perspective, Mr. Pham Quoc Liem, Chairman of Board of Directors and General Director of Unifarm, said that while many domestic banana producers can be flexible between standards such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP or individual standards of each import market, Unifarm chooses an opposite approach that unifies processes and quality, from seeding, cultivation, post-harvest processing to traceability.
In 2024, bananas will bring Vietnam 378 million USD from exports, equivalent to about 2,400 USD/ha. Mr. Pham Quoc Liem expects that the Vietnamese banana industry can reach an export value of 4 billion USD in the near future, nearly 10 times higher than the current one. This is not an easy goal, but it is completely feasible if the whole industry works towards large-scale production, applying high technology and maintaining consistent quality.
“In the current context, people’s health and the environment also need attention. If this can be achieved, Vietnamese bananas will have more competitive advantages, especially in demanding markets such as the EU and Japan,” said Mr. Liem.
Currently, most Vietnamese bananas are exported in the form of fresh fruit, mainly to China, Korea, Japan and some Middle Eastern countries. Meanwhile, products such as dried bananas, pressed bananas, banana wine, banana cakes or green banana powder, which have higher value, are still only on a small and fragmented scale.
In addition, the economic potential from banana by-products is also very large. Therefore, in addition to the fresh fruit export segment, Mr. Vo Quan Huy said that it is necessary to pay more attention to the segment of processed bananas and exploit the value from banana by-products. This is an important direction to increase the added value of this industry.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn