Vietnamese bananas are sold at a supermarket in Japan. Viet Nam expects to increase banana exports to this market — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Tuyen

The domestic vegetable and fruit industry in January witnessed a year-on-year increase of 14 per cent in export value to US$230 million, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

So far this year, Vietnamese vegetable and fruit products have been shipped to more than 60 countries. Lychee, rambutan, dragon fruit, mango and longan, in particular, have been exported to markets with string regulations such as the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

To enter these markets, local vegetables and fruits must meet strict quarantine conditions, food safety standards and have documents of origin.

Typcally, Vietnamese bananas were exported to Japan, Phap luat Thanh pho HCM (HCM City Law) newspaper reported.

According to the Viet Nam Vegetable and Fruit Association, Viet Nam last year witnessed a 30 per cent year-on-year increase in export value of vegetables and fruits to $2.5 billion. The export value exceeded the export value of some major farming products, including rice, pepper and rubber.

Experts said the vegetable and fruit industry would export many kinds of fruit in the future, resulting in a 3-4 times surge in export volume against the current volume.

At present, the relevant offices have completed necessary procedures to export local fruits to new markets. — VNS