The country's fruit and vegetable export turnover reached the target 1 month early.

With fruit and vegetable exports reaching 6.6 billion USD in the first 11 months of 2024, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable industry will set a record of 7 billion USD, and may even exceed all forecasts with 7.2 billion USD this year.

Harvesting durian at a garden in Bu Dang district ( Binh Phuoc province). (Photo: Nhat Binh/VNA)

The target set by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for the fruit and vegetable industry in 2024 is an estimated export value of 6 to 6.5 billion USD.

However, up to this point, statistics from the customs industry show that the export turnover of fruits and vegetables in the first 11 months of 2024 could bring in about 6.6 billion USD, reaching the target 1 month early.

This achievement is thanks to successes in major markets.

Winning from the Chinese market

According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, in the past 11 months, fruit and vegetable exports have been successful in many markets, with double-digit growth, of which the highest increases were in exports to Thailand, South Korea, Germany, Canada, China and the US.

Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said that with current export results, the Vietnamese fruit and vegetable industry will set a record of 7 billion USD, and may even exceed all forecasts with the figure of 7.2 billion USD in 2024.

Processing mango products for export at the factory of B'LaoFood Company (Bao Loc city, Lam Dong province). Photo: Vu Sinh - VNA

One of the largest import markets for Vietnamese fruits is the Chinese market, estimated at 4.6 billion USD, accounting for nearly 70% of Vietnam's fruit exports.

Assessing this market, Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen said that China is a large, potential market, with a population of 1.4 billion people and is the second largest economy in the world.

The border gates at the Vietnamese border are located very close to wholesale markets in China, which has greatly shortened the time it takes to transport fruits and vegetables from the production site to the consumer market in China, significantly reducing logistics costs compared to other countries.

China’s seaports are also very close to Vietnam’s ports, which helps increase the competitiveness of Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable industry. Furthermore, Vietnam’s fruit exports also have the advantage of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements to which both countries are members.

This is a great opportunity for Vietnamese fruit to penetrate deeply into this large market.

Despite many geographical advantages, Vietnamese fruit still faces many competitors in the international arena such as Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia, Australia and some countries in South America such as Chile, Peru, Ecuador.

Therefore, our country's businesses and farmers still have to comply with growing areas, packaging facilities, food hygiene and safety, plant quarantine, and meet all technical barriers.

For example, Vietnamese fruit and vegetable exports must have a growing area code issued by the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC). Processing and packaging facilities must also register for a code issued by the General Administration of Customs of China after strict inspection.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuc, General Director of AutoAgri Software Technology Joint Stock Company, said that because winter in Northern China is very cold and harsh, vegetable production is difficult. At this time, vegetable supply from Europe, Japan, Russia... is also scarce. Meanwhile, the climate conditions in Vietnam can be favorable for winter vegetable production, especially in the North.

Therefore, when exporting officially, Vietnam's winter vegetable production will reduce risks and gain higher profits.

In addition, China also consumes a lot of processed foods and Chinese traders also hold the largest food distribution system. This is an advantage when Vietnam cooperates and links, thereby paving the way for official export of fruits and vegetables to this market.

Many trade opportunities with the US

Although the US market is not in the top of Vietnam's fruit imports, it is an import market with high value and mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation.

The US market is considered by fruit businesses to be a market with great advantages because this place cannot produce the same types of fruit as Vietnamese fruit.

Dragon fruit cleaning line for export. (Photo: Thanh Binh/VNA)

According to Ms. Alexis M. Taylor, Under Secretary of Commerce and Foreign Agricultural Affairs of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), when exploring any market, a lot of investment is needed. Vietnamese businesses wanting to penetrate the US market need to be there to learn about what consumers are waiting for and expecting.

The same is true in the agricultural sector. Agricultural products between the US and Vietnam have many points that can complement each other, especially Vietnamese fruits have many varieties that cannot be found in the US, so there is still a lot of room for exploitation.

There is a large Vietnamese community in the US. Therefore, businesses should choose a specific area, state or community to penetrate.

To date, eight types of fresh Vietnamese fruits have been exported to the US, including dragon fruit, mango, longan, lychee, rambutan, star apple, grapefruit and coconut.

In August 2024, the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the US Department of Agriculture reached an important agreement to bring another fresh fruit from Vietnam to the US market, passion fruit.

The increase in imported fruits to the US is also accompanied by regulations on diversifying quarantine forms, growing areas and processing facilities must meet different standards, ensuring no residue of plant protection products, no contamination with microorganisms, bacteria, molds. The harvesting process does not affect the quality of the fruit.

Mr. Hoang Trung, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that among the groups of agricultural, forestry and fishery products, the US buys the most cashew nuts, seafood, wood and fruit from Vietnam.

The US is identified as a market for many high-quality agricultural products and tropical fruits from Vietnam. Currently, technical steps have been handled by Vietnamese and US enterprises in accordance with each side's regulations. Mr. Hoang Trung also hopes that in the near future, Vietnamese passion fruit will be available in the US.

Currently, there are a series of fruits that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has also directed to complete technical documents, such as seedless lemons, jackfruit, or guava, these are fruits that, according to the proposal of American businesses and the Vietnamese community, are very much looking forward to these fruits being exported to the US market.

To facilitate the stages of fruit exports to the US, some businesses have invested in implementing plans to import large shipments of food and fruit from Vietnam to the US.

This is a huge fruit consumption market with diverse needs, increasingly focusing on healthy vegetables, fruits, and organic foods. The main customer group today is the Asian community and especially the growing Vietnamese community, concentrated in major cities and urban areas in the US./.

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