The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development are working together to discuss solutions to make the most of opportunities from rising global demand for rice, fruit and vegetables to expand exports sustainably.
This is the first time fruit and vegetable export value has exceeded $1 billion right in the first quarter, signalling strong growth for the sector in the future.
China is the largest export market of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables, accounting for nearly 65 per cent of the total fruit and vegetable export value.
The export of rice, fruit and vegetables to China and other markets posted a remarkable surge by 34.7 per cent and 64.2 per cent, respectively in the first half.
Although Vietnamese vegetables and fruit are favoured by consumers around the world, logistics and preservation stages are a dilemma for both producers and exporters.
The target to reach US$10 billion from exports of vegetables and fruits can be fulfilled in the future despite a downtrend in the area due to industrialisation, urbanisation and other factors.
From Asia to Europe and the Middle East to North America, potential buyers are looking for top-notch products, which has prompted domestic exporters to ramp up their efforts to meet these rigorous standards.
Several companies were alleged to buy uncertified vegetables at wholesale markets, label them with VietGap stickers, then supply supermarkets and safe-food store chains.
HCM City consumers’ willingness to again spend on organic foods to improve their health after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic is fuelling their development, experts said.
As fruit and vegetable exports to China face difficulties, many Vietnamese enterprises have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to invest in systems and processing plants to sell their products in Europe and the US.
Viet Nam will have many more opportunities to export fruit and vegetables to potential markets in 2022, providing local producers meet international standards on quality and management of growing regions.
In early November Tran Ngọc Hoa, a vegetable vendor in Ha Noi’s Kim Lien market, had to stop selling for three days after fruit and vegetable prices surged in wholesale markets.
Viet Nam raked in US$60 million from exporting vegetables, fruit and rice to Australia in the first seven months of this year, a surge of 45 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Unable to transport passengers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some bus operators in HCM City have now begun to use their vehicles for selling vegetables and other essential goods.