On the morning of August 18, General Secretary and President To Lam arrived in Guangzhou, beginning a state visit to China. The fact that General Secretary and President To Lam chose China as the first country to visit after taking office fully reflects the high importance attached to the development of relations between the two Parties and the two countries of China and Vietnam.
Assessing the visit to China by General Secretary and President To Lam this time, Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said that previous visits by senior leaders of both sides worked on many important issues, including opening the agricultural market for Vietnam.
Most recently, during the visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in October 2022, the two sides signed a protocol on quarantine of bananas and sweet potatoes. Then, during the visit to Vietnam by General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping in December 2023, the two sides signed a protocol on quarantine of watermelons exported to China.
In 2023, Vietnam's durian exports to China will reach 2.3 billion USD.
"With previous practice, this visit of General Secretary and President To Lam, we are very much looking forward to the signing of the protocol for exporting frozen durian. Previously, the plant quarantine documents were fully sent by the Vietnamese authorities to the Chinese Customs for review. In addition to frozen durian, there may be an additional protocol with fresh coconut.
If these two products are signed, Vietnam can earn an additional half a billion USD each year, opening up many prospects for sustainable development of the two products durian and coconut," said Mr. Nguyen.
Talking to PV Dan Viet, according to Mr. Nguyen, the fact that General Secretary and President To Lam set foot in Guangzhou on his first visit to China and worked with the leaders of this province was not a coincidence. Because Guangzhou is the capital and the most populous city of Guangdong province, and is also one of the three most populous provinces in China. Guangzhou is considered the "gateway" for Vietnamese fruits and vegetables to travel throughout mainland China, with a modern wholesale market system, seaports - the main transportation hub, so during the visit there may be stronger investments in fruit and vegetable processing.
"In the future, China will increase the import of frozen split durian for processing because it will reduce transportation costs by removing the shell from the source. Vietnamese businesses exporting frozen products will also have less pressure in complying with plant quarantine regulations (potentially harmful organisms that come with fresh fruit) and can sell deep into mainland China thanks to the long preservation time," Mr. Nguyen analyzed.
In addition to frozen durian, fresh coconut, passion fruit, Mr. Nguyen said that Vietnam has great export potential for grapefruit, chili, spices, medicinal plants... In particular, Chinese people love to buy spices and medicinal plants to process medicine. China's traditional medicine industry is developing very strongly, there is a large demand, so we can promote the export of these items to their country.
The list of fruits being negotiated to open to the Chinese market also includes grapefruit, avocado, custard apple, and plum. Each product can bring in 10-20 million USD/year due to competition with domestic products and not too large market demand.
Whole frozen durians at the durian packaging factory of Duc Hue Lam Dong Company Limited, Loc Nga commune, Bao Loc city (Lam Dong). Photo: baolamdong
China is currently the largest export market for Vietnamese agricultural products, of which Vietnam is the second largest supplier of fresh durian to China. Vietnamese durian is considered to have the advantage of abundant output, harvested throughout the year, especially when in season, it does not compete with Thai durian. In addition, an advantage of Vietnamese durian when exporting to China is fast shipping time and competitive price.
These are the factors that have helped Vietnamese durian make great strides in the Chinese market after less than 2 years of opening to this market. According to estimates from the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, in the first 7 months of 2024, Vietnam exported 2.1 billion USD worth of fruits and vegetables to China. Of which, Vietnamese durian exports reached 1.22 billion USD, up 46% over the same period last year, accounting for 92.4% of the total amount of durian exported abroad. Of which, more than 90% is fresh durian. If the protocol on frozen durian exports is signed soon, the export of this fruit to China will grow very strongly.
On the business side, Mr. Truong A Vung, Director of Toan Thang Import-Export Trading Company Limited (Dong Nai province) said that the company is ready to export frozen durian to China.
"The Chinese market has now developed many processed durian products, so it needs a large source of raw materials. This segment is also more stable than fresh durian because it can be preserved for up to 2 years. Frozen durian mainly focuses on the quality of the pulp, not requiring external appearance like fresh products, so Vietnam can export about 30% more output, bringing in great economic value," said Mr. Vung.
To date, Vietnam has officially exported 14 agricultural products to China, including: bird's nest and bird's nest products, sweet potatoes, dragon fruit, longan, rambutan, mango, jackfruit, watermelon, banana, mangosteen, black jelly, lychee, passion fruit and durian.
Source: https://danviet.vn/viet-nam-co-the-thu-them-nua-ty-usd-tu-xuat-khau-sau-rieng-dong-lanh-sang-trung-quoc-20240819065222359.htm
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