Many types of Vietnamese fruits are opening their doors to the Northeast Asian market, contributing significantly to the goal of exporting 7 billion USD worth of fruits and vegetables in 2024. This is the information shared by Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association on August 2rd.
Accordingly, by the end of July, fruit and vegetable exports had earned 3.8 billion USD; of which, durian alone contributed 40% of the total fruit and vegetable export value. The above results were achieved thanks to the implementation of free trade agreements (FTAs) that have opened up and reduced tariffs for many agricultural products and fruits of Vietnam.
Notably, markets in the Northeast Asia region, in addition to China, Korea and Japan are making a spectacular breakthrough, accounting for 80% of the total export turnover of Vietnamese fruit and vegetables.
Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen analyzed: China is a populous market with high demand for fruits and vegetables, and has been a traditional customer of many types of Vietnamese fruits. Meanwhile, Japan and South Korea are populous countries with high incomes and great demand for quality agricultural products and fruits.
These two countries are also members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Vietnamese export enterprises when exporting to the above markets not only benefit from tariffs but also reduce transportation and logistics costs and maintain the quality of agricultural products compared to when exporting to distant markets such as the EU and the United States.
Objectively, since the beginning of 2024, tensions in the Red Sea region have caused the flow of goods from Asia to Europe, America and vice versa to be prolonged, and shipping costs have increased 2-3 times compared to before. This makes it difficult for goods, especially agricultural products from Europe and America, to be exported to Asia. In that context, Vietnam, with its geographical advantages, diverse fruit varieties, and increasingly high quality, has become a source of supply that markets such as China, Japan, and South Korea prioritize for import.
Meanwhile, Mr. Luong Ngoc Quang, Department of International Cooperation and Communications, Plant Protection Department, said: In the RCEP market block, the number of agricultural products allowed to be exported to China is the largest, currently 12 products including: dragon fruit, longan, lychee, rambutan, mango, watermelon, jackfruit, banana, mangosteen, black jelly, durian, sweet potato; plus coconut, passion fruit, and chili are temporarily exported.
Next is New Zealand with 5 types of fruit including mango, dragon fruit, rambutan, lemon, and grapefruit. Japan allows the import of dragon fruit, mango, lychee, and longan from Vietnam. South Korea imports dragon fruit, mango, and most recently has officially licensed fresh grapefruit from Vietnam. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is actively negotiating to open the door for fresh grapefruit and frozen durian to enter China, grapefruit to enter Japan, etc.
According to Mr. Luong Ngoc Quang, when a product is accepted by a new market, it will open up opportunities to increase export turnover and affirm the position of Vietnamese agricultural products. However, the negotiation process to open the market is not simple, it takes a lot of time and effort, some products take 3-5 years to negotiate and assess risks, or even longer to sign a protocol.
Therefore, once the door is opened, producers and exporting enterprises must strictly comply with the standards set by the importing country. Avoid the case of “one bad apple spoiling the barrel” when a business or a shipment violates the entire industry and is warned or stopped from exporting.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hieu, Deputy Director of the Southern Fruit Institute, commented: Vietnamese fruits are increasingly diverse in types, quality is improved, and are loved by consumers in many markets. After a period of international integration, most export enterprises have proactively updated information and market regulations on food safety, plant quarantine, etc.
However, the agricultural value chain starts with farmers, a group of subjects with few conditions to grasp changes in market regulations and policies. Therefore, management agencies, localities and enterprises need to actively support farmers to raise awareness and production capacity according to market standards; improve product designs and packaging, contributing to building and strengthening the brand of Vietnamese fruits and agricultural products in the international market.