31 July 2021, Vietnam: The fruit and vegetable industry regained its growth momentum thanks to very positive exports to many markets, with an export turnover of nearly 2.1 billion USD in the first half of the year and a forecast of 4 billion USD for the whole year.
Key markets recovered strongly
Vegetables and fruits are one of the billion-dollar export commodity groups, making an important contribution to the total export turnover of 24 billion USD in the first half of the year of the whole agricultural sector.
According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, in June 2021, fruit and vegetable exports reached over 360 million, up 38% over the same period in 2020. Generally in the first 6 months, the total export value of vegetables and fruits reached over 2.063 billion USD, up 17.7% over the same period in 2020. If this upward momentum is maintained in the coming months, the fruit and vegetable industry can reach the target of 4 billion USD.
Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association said that vegetable and fruit exports are recovering strongly in many key markets. In particular, the structure of the export market for vegetables and fruits continued to have a positive shift, when gradually reducing dependence on the Chinese market, increasing the proportion of exports to demanding markets such as the EU, the US, the Korea and Japan…
However, China is still the largest consumer market, accounting for 56% of Vietnam’s total fruit and vegetable export value. In the first 6 months of the year, fruit and vegetable exports to China reached over 1.25 billion USD, up 16.2% over the same period in 2020.
Up to now, there are 9 types of Vietnam’s fresh fruit allowed to be officially exported to China, including dragon fruit, mango, watermelon, litchi, longan, banana, jackfruit, rambutan and mangosteen. Besides, Vietnamese sweet potatoes and durians are also allowed to be temporarily exported to China.
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Giang, Director of Hoang Ha Trading – Service Co., Ltd (Lang Son) shared, China is no longer an easy market, because recently, the country has introduced many new regulations for Vietnamese agricultural products. This requires Vietnamese manufacturers and businesses to change their production thinking to meet the standards of China.
