A farmer in the northern province of Sơn La's Thuận Châu District harvests mango. Việt Nam has witnessed record growth in the export of many farm products to China. — VNA/VNS Photo Hữu Quyết

HÀ NỘI — After a period of stagnation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, farm produce of Việt Nam has recorded speedy growth in exports to China so far this year, and the shipments are predicted to keep increasing.

During the first 11 months of 2023, China, the US, and Japan were the three largest markets of Vietnamese agro-forestry-fishery exports. China made up 23.2 per cent of the total and posted a year-on-year increase of 18 per cent, becoming the biggest buyer of those products from Việt Nam, according to the General Statistics Office and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thị Thắng said that among the farm produce, total fruit and vegetable exports hit US$5.32 billion during the period, soaring 74.5 per cent from a year earlier. They were followed by the overseas shipment of rice, which grew 16.2 per cent in volume to 7.75 million tonnes and 36.3 per cent in value to $4.4 billion.

Đặng Phúc Nguyên, secretary-general of the Việt Nam Vegetable and Fruit Association, held that 2023 was a year of bumper fruit exports, especially durian, the export of which to China shot up by 161.8 per cent at certain points in time.

Vietnamese authorities are boosting negotiations with China to export frozen durian and fresh coconut via the official channel to this neighbouring market, he noted.

Besides, sales of rice to China have risen sharply, by 55.2 per cent year on year during the 11 months. The same upward trend has also been recorded in the shipment of cashew nut, coffee, and animal feed to this market, by 11.4 - 42.3 per cent, statistics show.

Without market uncertainties, Việt Nam’s fruit and vegetable exports may surpass $6 billion in 2024.

Lê Thanh Hòa, deputy director of the MARD’s Quality, Processing and Market Development Department, said China has licensed 12 fruits and vegetables of Việt Nam to enter its market via the official channel. The Chinese General Administration of Customs has announced the list of over 800 Vietnamese fishery processing businesses eligible to export fishery products to China, and also approved product codes for 40 live crab and lobster packaging establishments, five others packaging black tiger and white-legged shrimp, along with 128 aquatic products and 48 species of Việt Nam.

This is a condition for Vietnamese firms to access and continue stepping up exports to the market of 1.4 billion people, he opined.

While aquatic exports fell 18.9 per cent year on year during January-November as reported by the MARD, the Việt Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said China remains a key market of many fishery products.

About 30 per cent of Việt Nam’s tra fish export revenue currently comes from China. Việt Nam is the seventh biggest supplier of fishery products for this major market this year.

Director of the MARD’s Crop Cultivation Department Nguyễn Như Cương noted apart from fruits, Việt Nam is also exporting winter farm produce to China, adding that as the neighbour suffered from prolonged downpours and flooding in many localities this year, it has high import demand.

MARD Deputy Minister Hoàng Trung said to secure sustainable farm produce export to China, it is necessary to boost cultivation planning, grant more production unit codes, and ensure quality to increase exports via the official channel. The MARD and related ministries and sectors will promote negotiations to sign protocols on farm produce export to China as well as potential markets.

Việt Nam has witnessed record growth in the export of many farm produce to China thanks to those protocols. So far, 13 agricultural products have been shipped to the market via the official channel, namely salangane nest, sweet potato, durian, longan, rambutan, mango, jackfruit, watermelon, banana, mangosteen, lychee, passion fruit, and durian.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Thắng affirmed that her ministry will keep coordinating with the MARD to negotiate with Chinese authorities so as to open this market to more fruits from Việt Nam such as green-skinned pomelo, fresh coconut, avocado, pineapple, star apple, lemon, and honeydew melon.

In addition, relevant agencies of both sides will work to control the speed of customs clearance for seasonal agricultural and fishery products at the two countries’ border gates, and accelerate the shift to export via the official channel. — VNS