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Durian packed for export to China. Photo thanhnien.vn

HCM CITY – Việt Nam’s fruit and vegetable exports in the first two months of this year reached US$592 million, an increased of nearly 18 per cent compared with the same period last year.

China was the main market for Vietnamese fruits and vegetables, accounting for 57.5 per cent of exports, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Department of Agricultural Products Processing and Market Development.

This is attributable to China’s re-opening in early January and its increasing importation of fruits and vegetables from Việt Nam and the efforts of Vietnamese exporters to maintain orders with partners in the US, the European Union (EU) and Japan.

The trade of goods at border gates between Việt Nam and China has increased. As many as 220,000 tonnes of fruits were exported to China via border gates in the northern province of Lạng Sơn from January 1 to February 13, a hike of 40 per cent year-on-year.

According to Nguyễn Thanh Bình, President of the Việt Nam Fruit and Vegetable Association, 2023 is expected to be a good year for Việt Nam's fruits and vegetables export industry, especially durian.

China remains the largest importer of Vietnamese durian among other key names including Australia, the US, Japan, and Taiwan (China).

Banana exports are also expected to exceed $300 million thanks to a protocol signed with China in November 2022.

Việt Nam is the second biggest exporter of bananas to China after the Philippines.

The export of dragon fruit, banana and durian is expected to contribute $2 billion to the country’s export turnover in 2023.

Fruit and vegetable exports recorded positive results in early 2023, reaching $300 million in January, up 3 per cent year-on-year.

This promises to help the sector realise its goal of $4 billion in revenue this year, a year-on-year surge of 20 per cent.

Việt Nam's exports of durian and pomelo to the US and China have been increasing steadily this year. Freight rates have decreased to pre-COVID levels, creating favourable conditions, according to exporters.

Surveys in the Mekong Delta show that the prices of durian, dragon fruit, jackfruit, and sweet potato have all doubled or tripled compared to last year, with the durian price surging to a record high of VNĐ190,000 ($8) per kilogram at the farm.

Việt Nam imported fruits and vegetables worth $289 million in the first two months of this year, a 12 per cent increase, the department said. – VNS