Same period last year, Vietnamese vegetable and fruit products had successfully penetrated into some tough markets such as Japan, the Republic of Korea and the US. However, China remained the largest consumer of Vietnam’s vegetable and fruit, accounting for 71% of the total vegetable and fruit exports. In first two months, China spent US$236 million in importing vegetable and fruit from Vietnam.  Vietnam’s vegetable and fruit sector has been making greater efforts to seek new export outlets to reduce the dependence on China.

Australia had permitted Vietnam to export litchi while New Zealand had considered importing some kinds of Vietnamese rambutan. The industry had also implemented the necessary procedures and facilitated export some kinds of fruits such as star apple, longan, litchi, rambutan and dragon fruit to Asian markets, including the Republic of Korea and Taiwan. 


Vietnam Trade Office in Australia announced that Australian agencies were completing procedures to allow the import of Vietnamese mangoes into Australia from 2016.  The country’s vegetable and fruit exports were expected to reach US$2 billion this year as the nation could enter other tough markets including Japan, the EU and the US.
 Last year, Vietnam's vegetable and fruit export value reached US$1.8 billion, surging 23.7% against 2014.  Currently, Vietnamese vegetable and fruit products were being shipped to 40 countries and territories. Among 10 major export markets included mainland China, Japan, the US, and Russia, in addition to the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Thailand and Singapore.

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development added that more cultivation area had met VietGap and GlobalGap standards as well as hygiene and food safety requirements set by importers. In addition, businesses had enhanced their trade promotion to seek new customers. In order to accelerate exports in the time to come, trade experts encouraged local enterprises to invest in advanced technologies to process fruit and vegetable products as well as develop closer links with farmers from plantation to processing.
 
According to Dan Viet – Mai Huong