After officially entering the US and New Zealand, grapefruit exports in the first 8 months of the year increased by 144% over the same period last year.
Preliminary data from the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association shows that in addition to durian, grapefruit is also a fruit with high export turnover this year. In 8 months, grapefruit exports reached 29.6 million USD, up 144% over the same period in 2022, the strongest increase in the past 5 years.
Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen - General Secretary of the Fruit and Vegetable Association, said that previously, Vietnamese grapefruit was only exported to the EU or the Middle East, but since the end of 2022, thanks to the signing of the official export protocol to the US and New Zealand, exports have grown dramatically. In addition, the quality of Vietnamese green-skin grapefruit is increasingly improving, so it is favored by many countries.
Green-skinned grapefruit is packaged and strictly inspected before being shipped to the US. Photo: Linh Dan
Sharing the same view, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tung - General Director of Vina T&T Import-Export Company - the unit that accounts for 60% of the market share of fruits and vegetables exported to the US - said that Vietnamese grapefruit has just entered the US and New Zealand markets and is having to compete with strong rivals from China and Mexico but is not at all inferior.
In the US, Vietnamese grapefruit has the biggest competitor in China. Chinese products are sold for only 2 USD (49,000 VND) per kg, with very nice designs, while Vietnamese products cost 9 USD (220,000 VND) per kg, which is 4.5 times higher. Therefore, at first, when Vietnamese products entered the US market, import partners were not interested. However, after a period of being accepted by consumers, they have been placing orders in higher quantities than the first batch.
"This is the first year my company has exported grapefruit to the US, but output has increased rapidly every quarter. If in the first 3 months of the year we exported 4 40-foot containers per month, now we export 16 containers per month," Mr. Tung shared.
According to Mr. Tung, Vietnamese grapefruit entering the US market still faces many challenges in terms of price and preservation compared to Chinese products, but in terms of quality and deliciousness, it has the advantage. Therefore, to increase grapefruit output in these markets, farmers and businesses need to create the highest quality products. Because these markets do not care too much about appearance, but only pay attention to product quality, especially ensuring the health of consumers.
At the end of 2022, fresh grapefruit - the 7th fruit of Vietnam, after mango, longan, lychee, dragon fruit, rambutan and star apple - will be allowed to be imported into the US after 5 years of negotiation efforts by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Similarly, this fruit will also be officially exported to New Zealand from December 2022.
The Plant Protection Department said that fresh grapefruit from Vietnam has been exported to 12 countries and territories. According to US regulations, growing areas and processing facilities for fresh grapefruit from Vietnam exported to this market must be registered with the Plant Protection Department and the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
The fruit must be free of any plant quarantine objects of concern to the US; irradiated and certified by the Plant Protection Department.
Grapefruit growing areas and packing facilities must have appropriate management measures to eliminate the pests of concern to you, including fruit flies Bactrocera dorsalis, zeugodacus cucurbitae; prays endocarpa fruit borer and fungi Cylindrocarpon lichenicola, Phyllosticta citriasiana.
Currently, the whole country has 105,400 hectares of grapefruit cultivation, with an output of nearly 905,000 tons with diverse grapefruit varieties, typical for each region. The Mekong Delta has an area of about 32,000 hectares of grapefruit cultivation with an output of 369,000 tons.... This is also the region that grows the most green-skinned grapefruit.
Vnexpress.net
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