The program “Vietnam fresh golden lychees – Taste it, love it” is jointly held on June 19, 2021, by the Vietnam Trade Office in the Netherlands, TP Import Export BV, and Thanh Hung supermarket. (Photo: VOV)

The first 22 tons of frozen Vietnamese dracontomelon exported to Australia earned more than 286,000 USD. Earlier this month, the LTP Import Export BV Company shipped 6 tons of fresh Vietnamese lychees to the Netherlands.

In the Netherlands, a kilo of Vietnamese fresh lychees is 18 euros.

The first ton of lychees grown in Thanh Ha district, Hai Duong province, arrived at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport in June for distribution to Asian supermarkets in the Netherlands, France, and Germany.

A 6-ton batch of fresh lychees harvested in Luc Ngan district, Bac Giang province, just arrived at the port of Rotterdam, still pink and fragrant after a 5-week voyage.

Vo Thi Ngoc Diep, Vietnam’s Trade Counsellor in the Netherlands, said, “I’m very happy and proud. This is the first time fresh Vietnamese lychees have been shipped by sea to the EU. It’s an important milestone for Vietnamese businesses, who can now export fresh fruit to the European market in a sustainable way.”

The successful export of Vietnamese lychees to the Netherlands resulted from the joint efforts of importers and exporters. Labeling the fruit with a Vietnamese origin stamp has helped to create a brand for Vietnamese lychees.

Previously, Vietnamese lychees with origin stamps were exported to France and sold for 18 euros per kilo.

Vu Ba Phu, Director of the Trade Promotion Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, underscored the importance of farm produce grown for export adhering to the GlobalGAP or VietGAP standard.

“We should pay more attention to product quality and to promoting brands.  The Ministry of Industry and Trade should work closely with other ministries and sectors to assist businesses in origin tracing,” said Phu.

Vietnamese lychees have been successfully exported to many markets such as the Netherlands, France, Japan, and the Czech Republic.

Each export market requires specific support of departments, sectors, and businesses, especially during the current pandemic.

Many Vietnamese products have the potential to be exported to Africa, but the payment mechanisms require exports from Vietnam to be routed through Europe.

Africa, with 55 countries, 1.3 billion people, and an economy dependent on mineral and oil exploitation, is a great potential market for countries like Vietnam who export rice, pepper, cashew nuts, textiles, mobile phones, and other electronic equipment and components.

African countries are encouraging foreign businesses to open representative offices there and are offering incentives for businesses to begin regular trading activities. Nguyen Minh Phuong, a representative of the Asia-Africa Market Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said, “The banking systems of countries in Central and Western Africa are undeveloped, making it difficult to collect payments or set up credit transactions.”

According to Phuong, “On the other hand, fraud is highly developed and extremely common in African countries. Vietnamese trade offices in Africa will help Vietnamese businesses better understand the situation there, so they can reduce their risks when trading with African countries.”

Amid the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is working with relevant agencies at home and abroad to organize online trade promotion activities connecting Vietnamese businesses and foreign trade partners. These are the practical activities helping Vietnam expand its export market.