The export value of vegetables and fruits in the first 4 months of 2023 reached 1.39 billion USD, up 19.4% over the same period last year. Vegetables and fruits are one of the few key export groups of our country’s agriculture, forestry and fishery industry to maintain a positive growth rate in the first months of 2023…
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in April 4, fruit and vegetable exports will help Vietnam earn 2023 million USD, a spike of 410% compared to April 75. Accumulated in the first 4 months of the year, the export value of vegetables and fruits reached 2022.4 billion USD, up 1.39% over the same period last year. Items with a sharp increase in turnover include: dragon fruit, durian, mango, jackfruit …
CHINA IS THE LEADING MARKET
Analyzing the export market in the first 4 months of this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that China leads in Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable consumption with 58.7% market share and up 27.4% over the same period in 2022. In addition, Laos, South Korea and Japan also increased imports of Vietnamese fruits.
The export market for vegetables and fruits with the strongest increase in value is Laos, 2.8 times higher than the same period in 2022. However, the Lao market accounts for only a small part of Vietnam’s total fruit and vegetable export turnover. In contrast, fruit and vegetable exports to the United States fell by nearly 18 percent, to Australia by 20.2 percent year-on-year.
“In Q2 2023, the country’s fruit production is estimated at over 2.6 million tonnes. In which, bananas about 460 thousand tons, mangoes 350 thousand tons, durian 300 thousand tons, dragon fruit 250 thousand tons, lychee 330 thousand tons, pineapple 217 thousand tons, longan 110 thousand tons, oranges 180 thousand tons … The supply of fruits is very abundant, meeting export orders.” – According to the Department of Horticulture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said that the increase in fruit and vegetable exports was due to Vietnam signing the protocol on the official export of durian, sweet potatoes and bananas to the Chinese market; and grapefruit to America, lemon to New Zealand.
In particular, durian exports are a major contributor to the impressive export results of the fruit and vegetable industry in the first 4 months of the year. Durian alone brought in $420 million in turnover last year. Durian alone, in the short term, the export is very favorable. If the favorable situation persists, the turnover of this king fruit will reach about 1 billion USD this year.
“Fruit and vegetable exports will continue to be favorable in Q2/2023,” said Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen. It is expected that in 2023, exports of Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable industry will reach 4 billion USD. It is forecast that fruit and vegetable exports to the Chinese market alone will earn about 2.5 billion USD this year, demonstrating the great prospects of this industry in the market of 1.4 billion people.”
DURIAN AND SWEET POTATO IMPRINT
One of the memorable events of the fruit and vegetable industry in April was on April 4, 19, in Binh Tan district, Vinh Long province, there was a ceremony to export Vietnam’s first sweet potato shipment by official route to China. This shipment consists of 4 tons of sweet potatoes, exported by Song Toan Phat Trading Service Co., Ltd.
The official export of sweet potato products is the result of years of negotiations by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam and the General Department of China Customs, the official sweet potato export protocol to China was signed on November 22, 11.
Binh Tan district is the locality with the largest sweet potato area in the Mekong Delta, with an annual area of 12,000 ha – 14,000, the output reaches from 380,000-400,000 tons / year. Up to now, Vinh Long has 27 planting area codes and 3 sweet potato packing facilities have been granted export codes to the Chinese market.
“For durian, in order to increase export turnover in 2023, negotiations are needed to license more planting area codes and packaging codes. On the other hand, it is necessary to call for capital investment and advanced technology for fruit and vegetable processing enterprises to increase export value.” – Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen – General Secretary of Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association.
The official export to the Chinese market is an opportunity for the organization to develop Vietnam’s sweet potato industry in the direction of modernity, quality, safety, sustainability and close links from production to the consumption market. Since then, improving efficiency and raising the value of Vietnam’s sweet potatoes in the international market.
Durian exports are also of great interest. As the world’s largest durian market, China spends about 4 billion USD annually to import durian. China Customs data shows that the country imported 821,500 tons of fresh durian in 2021, a four-fold increase from 4. In 2017, despite being affected by the Covid epidemic, China still imported about 2022,800 tons of durian. In previous years, China mainly imported durian from Thailand.
From 7/2022, China officially “grants visas” for Vietnamese durian fruits officially exported to this market. From September 9 (the time of exporting durian shipments to China under the protocol) until now, Vietnam’s durian export turnover has increased dramatically.
Ms. Ngo Tuong Vy, General Director of Chanh Thu Fruit Export Group Joint Stock Company, estimates that the company will export 20,000-30,000 tons of durian to China in 2023.
However, Ms. Vy is also worried about the quality of durian exported to the Chinese market today. Because, recently, durian prices have risen to record highs, goods are scarce, some gardeners are chasing profits, forcing granaries to buy bad goods, cutting young goods (beneficial in weight) but not selective. While merchants lacking goods accept to buy all kinds of durian regardless of quality.
“It took us many years to officially export durian to the Chinese market. Instead of making goods that meet export standards to gain market share, now chasing profits, massively buying poor quality goods, melancholy, is like returning to the era of trading thinking. It is impossible because of the profit of 1-2 billion per trip to lose prestige, lose the relationship that many years have been built”, Ms. Vy emphasized.
Discussing about the Chinese durian market, Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen said that Vietnamese durian has many competitive advantages compared to Thai and Filipino durians. Vietnam’s durian production has now risen to around 1 million tonnes, harvesting almost year-round, while Thailand and the Philippines are only seasonally harvested. The shorter transportation distance from our country to China is also an advantage to help Vietnamese durian stay fresh, transportation costs included in the price will be cheaper than competitors.
In order for vegetables and fruits to speed up exports more, the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development needs to continue negotiating to sign more protocols for a number of officially exported goods such as dragon fruit, mango, watermelon, jackfruit, rambutan… The Chinese market needs to open up more for items such as green skin grapefruit, fresh coconut, avocado, lemon, pineapple, breast milk. It is necessary to promote more activities to open other markets such as Korea, Japan, Australia, the US …