Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports expected to hit $3 billion

This year is forecast to be another bumper year for vegetable and fruit exports, with total export value expected to touch $3 billion.

Recent figures published by the General Statistics Office show that Vietnam reaped $230 million in vegetable and fruit export in January 2017 alone, up 14 per cent on-year.

The full-year figure is expected to reach $3 billion.

Made-in-Vietnam vegetables and fruits are now being shipped to nearly 60 countries and territories, and many specialty fruits, such as litchi, rambutan, thanh long (dragon fruit),  and longan, have made it into picky markets like the US, Australia, and Japan.

Last year, the export value of vegetables and fruits jumped 33 per cent on-year to $2.4 billion, for the first time in history outpacing rice exports, which stood at $2.2 billion.

According to Bui Sy Doanh, deputy head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Plant Protection Department, more than 10,500 tonnes of fresh fruits were exported to Japan and the US last year, doubling over year.

In the meantime, importers from the US, Japan, Korea, and other countries have been flocking to Vietnam in search for suppliers.

For instance, Meika Shoji from Japan is seeking Vietnamese banana suppliers to import large volumes to Japan.

Japan is said to have a tremendous demand for bananas, requiring about one million tonnes a year. The Philippines currently takes the lead in banana exports to Japan, holding more than 80 per cent of the market.   

Thus, local businesses with quality supply have vast opportunities.

According to Nguyen Dinh Huy, director of export investment consultancy EDX Corporation JSC, the company’s customers have surpassed the thousand margin, and the number of businesses seeking their advice for vegetable fruit export keeps increasing quickly.

EDX and the Vietnamese representative of Alibaba, a Chinese e-commerce giant, have been cooperating with Vietnam Vegetable and Fruit Association to act as a bridge promoting local products over the world.

Through EDX’s connections, many local small and medium-sized businesses have succeeded in bringing their fruit and vegetable exports to a multitude of international destinations.

Accordingly, EDX provides Gold Supplier package’s international version to local businesses, which is an effective tool to help firms find opportunities for online transactions to boost exports.

“EDX has helped connect fruit and vegetable exporting firms with foreign importers, thus inspiring them to further improve their product quality while fostering the marketing of made-in-Vietnam products to foreign customers,” Huy said.

In the context that China claims over 70 per cent of Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable export value, diversifying export markets with new, quality products such as mango, litchi or dragon fruit will help local exporters reduce risks of overdependence on a single market, while boosting export value.

By The Hoang / VIR