Dutch apples and pears find their way to Vietnam

To meet the tastes of the Vietnamese market, Dutch enterprises have researched sweet fruit products, gradually penetrating deeper into Vietnam.

According to information from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature of the Netherlands, the Netherlands is currently the world's second largest exporter of agricultural products by value, after the United States.

Products such as fruit, vegetables, milk and flowers are available all over the world. The Netherlands is also the world's leading exporter of tomatoes, potatoes and onions and the second largest exporter of fruit and vegetables by value.

According to the Ministry, Dutch fruits meet the global demand for healthy food, serving millions of people around the world. Dutch fruits are grown in soil and greenhouses using the most advanced and sustainable techniques. Among the country's fruit products, the Netherlands is also the leading exporter of apples and pears. In 2022, the Netherlands exported apples and pears worth 543 million USD, making it the 7th largest exporter of apples and pears in the world.

Vietnam - potential market

Analyzing the Vietnamese market, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature said that with a population of 101 million people, Vietnam is an emerging market in Asia, investing millions of USD in importing fruit every year.

Citing data from the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature of the Netherlands said that as of mid-May 2024, Vietnam's import turnover of fruits and vegetables reached 725.6 million USD. In 2023 alone, the import turnover of fruits and vegetables reached 1.96 billion USD.

Among imported fruit products, apples topped the list, with a total import turnover in 2023 reaching 237.1 million USD, accounting for 21.8% of total fruit import turnover; followed by grapes (14.6%), tangerines (7.1%) and pears (5%).

The Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ho Chi Minh City organized an event to launch Dutch Tessa's Apple products at the Go! supermarket chain in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Go Vietnam

The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature affirmed that the Dutch Government has made efforts to expand the market to pave the way for Dutch apples and pears to penetrate deeper into the Vietnamese market.

“ The Dutch apple and pear market officially opened in Vietnam nearly a decade ago. On March 2, 2016 , the first shipment of Dutch pears, about 18 tons, arrived at Vietnamese ports. This is the result of close cooperation between the Dutch and Vietnamese governments,” the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature informed.

The Journey of Dutch Apples in Vietnam

Introducing the journey of Dutch apples in Vietnam, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature said that FruitMasters - a Dutch fruit cooperative is a distributor and retailer domestically and internationally. The first FruitMasters apples in Vietnam are crispy but sour.

Over the years, as Vietnamese and Asian consumers in general have increasingly preferred sweeter flavors, FruitMasters has invested in science and technology, researched new apple varieties, and Tessa apples have been introduced to Vietnam in the past four years. If in 2020, Vietnam imported only 1 container of Tessa apples, by 2024 it will be 30 containers. This result proves that the Vietnamese market increasingly favors Dutch apples.

During the recent Lunar New Year, to promote Dutch fruits to Vietnamese consumers, the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ho Chi Minh City organized an event to launch Dutch Tessa Apple products at the Go! supermarket chain in Ho Chi Minh City, with the participation of many Vietnamese shoppers. This event provided an exciting opportunity for Vietnamese customers to learn more about Dutch fruits.

According to statistics from the General Department of Customs, Vietnam's export turnover to the Netherlands in January 2025 reached 1.04 billion USD, down 10.1% compared to the previous month and down 0.8% compared to the same period last year.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/tao-le-ha-lan-tim-duong-den-viet-nam-375118.html