Despite earning tens of billions of USD in exports, Vietnamese agricultural products still have "gray" areas that require the industry to continue to overcome.
Vegetables face quality problems
In 2024, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports will reach a record high. According to data from the General Department of Customs, in 2024, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable export turnover will reach approximately 7.15 billion USD, an increase of 27.6% compared to 2023. In December 2024 alone, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports will reach over 529 million USD, an increase of 15.5% compared to November 2024 and an increase of 29.8% compared to December 2023.
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| 2024 was a record year for Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports, reaching more than 7.2 billion USD, an increase of 27% compared to 2023. |
In 2024, the Vietnamese fruit and vegetable industry has successfully exploited most of its traditional and potential export markets, except for the Netherlands market. According to data from the General Department of Customs, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable export turnover to key markets all recorded high growth in 2024 compared to 2023.
Of which, the export turnover of fruits and vegetables to China reached over 4.63 billion USD, up 27.3%; the United States increased by 39.8%; South Korea increased by 39.6%; Thailand increased by 73.7%; Japan increased by 15.3%; Taiwan (China) market increased by 10.9%; Australia increased by 25.9%... This reflects the efforts of the fruit and vegetable industry in improving quality, meeting strict market standards, especially taking advantage of opportunities brought by FTAs.
However, Vietnamese fruits and vegetables still face quality problems. Specifically, in early January 2024, China issued a warning about fresh durian and jackfruit exported from Vietnam due to non-compliance with regulations on plant quarantine and food safety.
The Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) has requested localities to strengthen supervision of growing areas and packaging facilities, and tighten inspections of pesticide residues, heavy metals and traceability. Violators will have their growing area and packaging facility codes suspended. This is a mandatory condition to ensure that Vietnamese fruits maintain their quality and position in the international market.
Durian is Vietnam's main export item, reaching a record turnover of about 3.3 billion USD in 2024, an increase of more than 1 billion USD compared to 2023. The strong growth of durian helps the Vietnamese fruit and vegetable industry achieve an export turnover of over 7 billion USD.
Previously, the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association also issued a press release reflecting the situation of some subjects taking advantage of fraud, illegally copying durian growing area codes and durian packing facility codes through forms of authorization contracts to use codes with fake and homemade seals and signatures... to commit fraud. This behavior is a serious violation and directly affects the interests of genuine durian producers and businesses.
More importantly, it affects the reputation of the Vietnamese durian industry, causing a loss of confidence among Chinese and international consumers. The Vietnamese durian industry may face great risks when authorities of importing countries may tighten input controls, affecting the export activities of businesses. Even the granted codes may be revoked due to violations of quality regulations.
Vietnamese spices and the residue problem
In 2024, Vietnam exported 250,600 tons of pepper of all kinds with a turnover of nearly 1.32 billion USD, down 5.1% in volume but up 45.4% in value compared to 2023; exported 99,874 tons of cinnamon with a turnover of 274.5 million USD, up 11.7% in volume and 5.2% in value; exported 14,004 tons of star anise with a turnover of 63.7 million USD, down 5.7% in volume and 16.2% in value; exported 10,433 tons of chili with a turnover of 25.1 million USD, up 2.6% in volume and 25.9% in value...
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| In 2024, Europe warned 77 cases of pepper and spices imported from markets, down 2 cases compared to 2023. |
In addition to the positive results in export value, the quality of this industry is also an issue that needs attention. According to the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA), in 2024, Europe warned 77 cases of pepper and spices imported from markets, down 2 cases compared to 2023. Specifically, 8 cases of pepper, 35 cases of chili, 12 cases of cinnamon, 5 cases of ginger, 8 cases of nutmeg.
Of which, Vietnam recorded the highest number of warnings with 21 cases, a 7-fold increase compared to 2023. Chili is the product with the most warnings with 11 warnings; cinnamon has 7 warnings, of which 3 are about lead residues; pepper has 1 warning about Salmonella bacteria. After Vietnam is India with 16 cases, Indonesia has 8, China has 4...
Also in 2024, there were 481 warnings from the United States for spices imported into the country, an increase of 39.4% compared to 2023 (an increase of 136 cases), including 26 more cinnamon cases, 16 more chili cases, and 6 more pepper cases. There were a total of 49 warnings for pepper, 37 for cinnamon, and 34 for chili cases. There were 15 warnings for Vietnamese spices imported into the United States, including 6 for cinnamon (a 3-fold increase compared to 2 cases in 2023).
Meanwhile, some shipments of Vietnamese black pepper imported into Taiwan (China) have been warned due to the detection of red sudan exceeding the maximum allowable residue limit.
Regarding quality issues, VPSA has also sent warnings to businesses and requested all exporting and purchasing businesses to immediately take timely preventive and control measures.
VPSA believes that, in the context of the upcoming 2025 pepper harvest, it is extremely necessary to urgently adjust processing and harvesting methods for farmers and agents. VPSA is also continuing to synthesize information and report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. According to VPSA, through this incident, businesses need to be even more careful in testing products, especially when exporting to demanding markets.
Regarding the fruit and vegetable industry, according to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh - Chairman of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, to boost exports, maintain consumer reputation, and build a brand for the fruit and vegetable industry, one of the hot issues today is standards for quality control.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development must soon research, develop and promulgate national standards for key products. When developing and promulgating standards on the quality of fruits and vegetables, it will help all parties have a "basis" for joint production, harvesting and processing. This standard will be a premise for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs... to confidently continue negotiating to open the market. Along with that, the management agency will have stricter legal institutions to protect genuine producers.
| Fruits and vegetables are a strong sector of Vietnamese agriculture when exported to more than 60 countries and markets around the world. In China - the world's largest fruit and vegetable market - Vietnam has many key export products such as mango, banana, durian... |
Source: https://congthuong.vn/xuat-khau-nong-san-va-nhung-mang-chua-sang-371383.html
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