Hanoi (VNA)🍃 – After many market fluctuations in thefirst quarter of 2023, Vietnam’s exports of vegetables and fruits saw positivemoves in the second quarter.

According to statistics of the General Department of VietnamCustoms, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable export turnover reachedmore than 1 billion USD in June 2023, raising the figure in the first half of this year to 2.75billion USD, more than 63% higher than that of the same period last year.

Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit andVegetables Association (Vinafruit), said that the export revenue in June set a record so farthanks to China’s opening to many Vietnamese fruits such as durian andgrapefruit.

꧂ China led the top five importers of Vietnam's vegetablesand fruits with exports to the country accounting for more than 63% of Vietnam's total exportvalue.

Vietnam’s vegetable and fruit exports to the US decreased by 12%over the same period in 2022 but other major importers - the Republic of Korea, Japan,and the Netherlands - saw increases of 12%, 0.5%, and 70%, respectively. If the upward trend continues until the end of 2023, Vietnam canhit the export goal of 5 billion USD set by the Ministry of Agriculture andRural Development for 2025, Nguyen said.

A representative of the Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade said thatChina is currently implementing a policy of mainstreaming commercial activities,so Vietnam needs to pay more attention to exporting via official channels.

Vietnam has also built material areas, and granted planting areacodes following the requirements of the Chinese market to make Vietnameseproducts eligible to enter the Chinese market.

Late last year, Vietnamese green-skinned grapefruit received aplanting area code for export to China. Recently, sweet potatoes and durianwere also granted the codes, which creates more motivation for Vietnam’s vegetable and fruit sectorto invest in production and export.

Nguyen said that the official export channel to the Chinesemarket is an opportunity for Vietnam to develop the vegetable and fruit sector inthe direction of modernity, sustainability, and close links from production toconsumption as well as increase the values and position of Vietnamese fruitsand vegetables in the international market.

Ngo Tuong Vy, General Director of Chanh Thu Fruit Export GroupJoint Stock Company, said that the company will export 20,000-30,000 tonnes ofdurian to China in 2023. However, to compete with other exporters from Thailandand the Philippines, Vietnamese businesses and farmers must focus on increasingquality.

Currently, Vietnamese durian has many competitive advantagescompared to Thai and Philippine durian. Vietnam's durian output is now increasingto around 1 million tonnes, and harvesting time is almost year-round whileThailand and the Philippines only harvest seasonally. In addition, the shortershipping distance from Vietnam to China is also an advantage to help Vietnamesedurian stay fresh, and the shipping costs included in the price will becheaper than those of the competitors.

꧑ Phuc from the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association said thatthe Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development should continue to negotiateand sign more protocols for products to be exported via official channels suchas dragon fruit, mango, watermelon, jackfruit, and rambutan.

The Chinese market is expected to be opened for items such asgreen-skinned pomelo, fresh coconut, avocado, lemon, pineapple, and star apple.In addition, it is necessary to open up other markets such as the RoK, Japan,Australia, and the US./.