(VOVWORLD) - In the first 3 months of the year, Vietnam earned 1.25 billion USD from fruit and vegetable exports. This is the first time the figure has exceeded 1 billion USD in the first quarter.
 Mangos of An Giang province are sold in Australia and the US. (photo: congthuong.vn) |
Preliminary statistics show that in March, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports reached 433 million USD, up 33% over the previous month and 4% over the same period last year.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said the production of fruit and vegetable is expected to grow 15-20% this year. Abundant agricultural production has met domestic needs and gained added value from exports. Vietnamese high-quality fruits and vegetables are available in major markets like the US, China, Japan, South Korea, and the European Union.
Le Quoc Thanh, Director of the National Agricultural Extension Center, said that if Vietnam can take advantage of opportunities from import markets and value chains, fruit and vegetable export turnover is expected to surpass last year's 5.6 billion USD.
“If we produce only one type of product, the demand for that product may change. We must build a value chain for sustainable production. A sustainable value chain will apply technological advances to cultivation and collaboration with organizations and businesses for pre-processing, preservation, and processing to enhance product values," Mr. Khanh said.
Vietnam has about 7,000 growing area codes and 1,600 packaging facility codes for export of fresh dragon fruit, mango, star apple, banana, grapefruit, passion fruit, seedless lemon, longan, lychee, chili, and black jelly.
 Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam (photo: chinhphu.vn) |
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam said: “Products must have a registration code, a packaging code, and a growing area code to ensure transparency. The Ministry has directed affiliated agencies and sectors to strengthen coordination and guidance for localities, businesses, cooperatives and farmers to meet the requirements of export markets.”
Vietnamese fruits and vegetables have been licensed for export to China, the US, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Japan. This year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will continue negotiations to expand the export of fresh fruits to key markets like China, the US, and the European Union.