Local farmers in Hoa Loc Commune, Dong Nai Province provide 50 tonnes of fresh mangoes to Japan this May.— Photo asiac-t.com.vn

HA NOI (BizHub)— The Republic of Korea has officially begun importing fresh mangoes from Viet Nam, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)'s Plant Protection Department.

South Korea has already been importing fresh cabbages and dragon fruit from Viet Nam and both sides have co-operated with each other to check the quality of produce at local gardens as well as the storage and packaging processes, the department said.

It said local mangoes produced under national Good Agricultural Practices (VietGAP) standards have been exported to Russia, China and Japan.

According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association (Vinafruit), fruit and vegetable export turnover has grown by almost 25 per cent year-on-year and is likely to hit US$1 billion this year. —VNS