Durian, dragon fruit, mango... are very popular in China, "looking forward to more quality fruits from Vietnam"

The festival is organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in coordination with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Vietnamese Embassy in China and the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association. The festival will take place on September 29 and 30 at the Tan Phat Dia Agricultural Products Distribution Center, Phong Dai District, Beijing, China.

Opportunity to promote Vietnamese agricultural products

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien said that Vietnam is located in a tropical monsoon climate zone - considered a paradise for tropical plants; in particular, there are many fertile fruit gardens spread across the country, along with the diversity and sophistication of many types of fruit.

With an annual output of 12 - 14 million tons, Vietnam's fruit products not only meet domestic consumption needs but also serve exports with a turnover of 3.5 billion USD or more per year.

Sầu riêng, thanh long, xoài... rất được ưa chuộng ở Trung Quốc, — Vietnam's Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the first Vietnam Fruit Festival. Photo: Hong Tham

In recent years, the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China has been developing very well, bringing practical benefits to both sides; in which economic and trade cooperation between the two countries has been increasingly developing deeply and widely and achieved many important and positive results, despite the decline of the world economy. As evidence, China has continuously maintained its position as Vietnam's largest trading partner and Vietnam is currently China's largest trading partner in ASEAN and fifth in the world. In terms of supplying fruits and fruit products, Vietnam is China's third largest partner in the world with many products having a solid position and being favored by Chinese consumers.

However, according to Minister Nguyen Hong Dien, the results achieved in recent times are still not commensurate with the potential, needs and strengths of each side.

Currently, Vietnamese fruits are still mainly exported to China through border trade to meet the market demand of some localities in the South, Southeast of China and provinces adjacent to Vietnam. For other localities, the appearance of Vietnamese fruit products is still quite modest, while the demand for fruit consumption in the Chinese market is very large and the ability to supply high-quality, specialty fruits of Vietnam is very abundant... Therefore, there is still a lot of room for fruit businesses of the two countries to exploit and develop.

The organization of the Vietnam Fruit Festival in Beijing is an initiative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam to contribute to implementing and realizing the commitments and political determination of the two countries' senior leaders after the visit to China by General Secretary and President To Lam last August.

Although it was only held for the first time, the Festival attracted and gathered many large export enterprises of fresh fruits and processed fruit products from Vietnam to display, introduce products and serve Chinese consumers.

"This is a good opportunity for Vietnamese producers and suppliers to introduce and promote their brands and images of typical fruit products, as well as meet and seek customers, strengthen trade activities, and build sustainable cooperative relationships with potential partners in fruit import in China. At the same time, it is a favorable opportunity for a large number of Chinese consumers to directly experience the quality and unique, distinctive flavors of Vietnamese fruits, thereby helping to promote the national brand for agricultural products in general and Vietnamese fruits in particular to the Chinese market," Minister Nguyen Hong Dien emphasized.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam affirmed that Vietnam and China are two neighboring countries with a good friendship and long-standing tradition; close geographical proximity, soil and climate; similarities in culinary culture, which are the premise to promote trade between the two countries in general and the exchange of fruit specialties in particular. Bringing Vietnamese fruits to the Chinese market is a way for consumers to enjoy the wonderful flavors of many types of fruits as if they were in Vietnam.

In recent years, with the effective support and assistance of the General Department of Customs and relevant agencies of China, along with the participation and efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam in the planning of growing areas, transparency of the cultivation process, strict management of the issuance and management of growing area codes, packaging facilities, traceability systems, etc.

Up to now, there have been 12 types of Vietnamese fruits exported to the Chinese market with an estimated turnover of about 4.5 billion USD by 2024.

Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam said that Vietnam is a tropical country, with a territory spanning 15 latitudes, which is an ideal condition for growing many types of fruit with distinctive flavors, including: Dragon fruit, with an annual output of 1.3 million tons, mango 1.1 million tons, durian 1.2 million tons, banana 2.5 million tons, grapefruit 1.1 million tons, jackfruit 980,000 tons, lychee 320,000 tons, longan 635,000 tons, pineapple 725,000 tons, rambutan 320,000 tons...

These are products grown in areas with growing area codes, meeting national and international quality standards, serving export. Currently, Vietnam has 5,840 fruit growing area codes that have been granted codes by importing countries, of which the Chinese market accounts for 40.2% with 2,350 growing areas granted export codes.

"Vietnamese fruits are not only wonderful gifts from nature, but also ambassadors of Vietnamese agricultural products, imbued with Vietnamese culture," Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam emphasized.

Accordingly, to promote agricultural trade between the two countries in the coming time, through this festival, Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam hopes that relevant agencies of the two countries will continue to strengthen coordination in removing barriers and opening up agricultural markets. In particular, agencies of the General Administration of Customs of China to expand agricultural, forestry and fishery products, especially Vietnamese specialty fruits, to be introduced and consumed in the Chinese market.

Associations, businesses and investors of the two countries need to strengthen cooperation and linkage to expand markets, develop sustainable agricultural product chains for export, and expand investment in export-serving fields such as: trade promotion, logistics, wholesale markets, cold storage chains, preservation, processing and breeding...

The trade and agricultural agencies of the two countries will strengthen coordination with localities, associations, and businesses to continue organizing agricultural product trade festivals in many other potential localities and regions of China in the coming time.

"Vietnamese agricultural products are favored by many Chinese consumers"

Mr. Ly Ngan, Deputy Director of the Asian Department, Ministry of Commerce of China, said that China is the largest export market for fruits and vegetables of Vietnam. In 2023, Vietnam's agricultural exports to China accounted for 21% of Vietnam's total agricultural export turnover to the world.

With the joint efforts of both sides, high-quality Vietnamese fruits such as durian, dragon fruit, banana, mango, etc. have been available in the Chinese market. At the same time, food products produced in Vietnam such as coffee, pho, etc. are also favored by many Chinese consumers.

Along with the comprehensive implementation of the RCEP Agreement as well as the continuous upgrading of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, cooperation between the two countries in technology, standards, and agricultural production has increasingly developed in a more extensive direction.

"This is the first time Vietnam has organized a fruit promotion event in Beijing. I hope Vietnamese businesses will take advantage of this opportunity and actively explore the Chinese market. I also hope that Beijing residents will seize this rare opportunity to enjoy delicious Vietnamese fruits and introduce the unique flavors of these fruits to their friends and relatives," said the Deputy Director of the Asian Department of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

Mr. Truong Ngoc Ty, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Tan Phat Dia Agricultural Products Distribution Center, said that a large amount of Vietnamese agricultural products have been exported to the Chinese market, bringing many types of tropical fruits and vegetables to serve Chinese consumers, meeting the diverse food needs of Chinese consumers.

Beijing is an internationalized city with a population of 30 million and a huge demand for high-quality agricultural products. Xinfadi Center is the main supplier of vegetables and fruits to the capital's residents, supplying up to 90% of agricultural products in Beijing. In 2023, the total transaction volume of agricultural products in Xinfadi reached 15.16 million tons, with a total transaction value of 126.7 billion yuan. Beijing's agricultural self-sufficiency rate is very low, with most agricultural products coming from other provinces and cities and imported from abroad.

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Tan Phat Dia Agricultural Products Distribution Center said that every year, agricultural products from 46 countries and regions are displayed at Tan Phat Dia. It can be said that: "Just step into Tan Phat Dia and you can enjoy cuisine from all over the world".

Evaluating the first Vietnam Fruit Festival, the leader of Tan Phat Dia said: "The Vietnam Fruit Festival is a wonderful exhibition fair in Beijing, of great significance and of the times, demonstrating the tireless efforts of the Vietnamese people in meeting the needs of the Chinese market. Besides, it also more vividly reflects the friendly cooperative relationship between China and Vietnam in the agricultural sector, thereby helping to create valuable opportunities for connection and exchange between Chinese and Vietnamese agricultural enterprises; at the same time, it will certainly promote the further development of Vietnam's agricultural exports."

"We are looking forward to seeing more high-quality Vietnamese fruits and vegetables on the Chinese market, adding rich color to the meals of Beijing residents," Tan Phat Dia's leader emphasized.

On the same afternoon, within the framework of the first Vietnam Fruit Festival held in Beijing, China, the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam) in coordination with the Trade Promotion Agency (Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam), the Plant Protection Department and the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association organized the "Forum on trade and connecting the import and export supply chain of fruits from Vietnam to China".

At the Forum, a signing ceremony of business cooperation between Vietnamese and Chinese units and enterprises took place to promote the export of agricultural and aquatic products. Specifically, there were 4 signings, namely between Ameii Vietnam Joint Stock Company and Beijing New Cooperation Development Company; Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association and China Fruit Association; Vina T&T Group Import-Export Company and Beijing Yundian Food Science and Technology Development Company Limited; Vina T&T Group Import-Export Company and Asia Trade Trading Company Limited.

Source: https://danviet.vn/sau-rieng-thanh-long-xoai-rat-duoc-ua-chuong-o-trung-quoc-mong-cho-co-them-nhieu-trai-cay-chat-luong-tu-viet-nam-20240929234114164.htm