A forum on sustainable development of passion fruit in Việt Nam was held on December 12 in Gia Lai Province. — Photos courtesy of Agriculture and Environment newspaper

HÀ NỘI — As global demand rises, driven by consumer preferences for natural, low-sugar and nutrient-rich products, significant opportunities are opening up for passion fruit farmers and enterprises, a conference heard on December 12.

The event was organised by Nông nghiệp và Môi trường (Agriculture and Environment) newspaper in cooperation with the Plant Protection Department and the Gia Lai Department of Agriculture and Environment, in Gia Lai Province to review the current state of passion fruit production, processing, distribution and export in Việt Nam.

The forum also highlighted global market trends and proposed solutions for sustainable development.

Experts at the forum agreed that the global passion fruit market is expanding rapidly, with its value expected to reach US$4.8 billion by 2025, particularly in the processed and frozen product segments.

Việt Nam is currently among the world’s top 10 passion fruit producers and exporters, behind Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

Việt Nam now cultivates about 12,600 hectares of passion fruit, producing more than 178,500 tonnes annually. The Central Highlands accounts for over 88 per cent of the total planted area, with Gia Lai alone contributing 5,650 hectares.

According to Tô Văn Huấn of the Plant Protection Department, passion fruit exports surged from US$20 million in 2015 to $222.5 million in 2023. In the first ten months of 2025, exports reached $202 million despite global market fluctuations.

He noted that Việt Nam now has 43 registered passion fruit varieties, supporting rising production and export demand.

Huấn highlighted Việt Nam’s competitive advantages, including favourable climate and geography. Passion fruit in the Central Highlands grows in just four to five months, delivering high yield and stable quality – conditions ideal for both fresh consumption and processing.

However, he pointed out persistent challenges such as weak value chain links, insufficient disease-free seedlings, unsynchronised processing technology and increasingly strict quarantine and technical requirements from global markets.

Đoàn Ngọc Có, deputy director of Gia Lai’s Department of Agriculture and Environment, said the passion fruit sector has made significant strides since Việt Nam gained permission in July 2022 to export passion fruit to China.

He noted that official export channels expanded markets, increased value across the supply chain and raised incomes for both farmers and enterprises.

Gia Lai currently has 48 coded planting areas and six coded packing facilities, ensuring traceability and compliance with technical standards. However, the province still faces challenges, including fragmented production, uneven seed quality, spontaneous planting and increasing climate variability.

Meanwhile, major markets such as the EU, the US, Japan and China continue to tighten standards on residues and traceability, pushing producers to improve compliance.

Đào Thị Lan Hoa from the Central Highlands Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute said that each planting area must meet a minimum of 10 hectares to receive a code – a barrier for small households. This requirement encourages farmers to join cooperatives in order to meet export standards for markets such as China, the EU and Japan.

Hoa stressed that planting codes are crucial for quality control, traceability and food safety. Growers must apply good agricultural practices such as VietGAP or GlobalGAP, undergo regular inspections, and maintain comprehensive production records.

A passion fruit farm in the Central Highlands region.

Sustainable development

To ensure long-term development, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has designated passion fruit as a priority crop under the national programme for key fruit trees from 2025 to 2030.

The plan aims to maintain 12,000-15,000 hectares of cultivation, producing 250,000-300,000 tonnes annually. Key growing regions include Gia Lai, Lâm Đồng, Đắk Lắk, Quảng Trị, Nghệ An, and Sơn La.

Concentrated production zones are expected to enhance productivity, improve disease control and ensure consistent quality standards.

Vũ Minh Việt, deputy editor-in-chief of the Agriculture and Environment Newspaper, said Việt Nam has one of the fastest-growing passion fruit value chains in the region, especially in the Central Highlands.

However, rapid and sometimes overheated expansion has led to disease outbreaks and inconsistent seed quality.

Without improvements in seed management and production organisation, he warned, the sector risks repeating the uncontrolled development patterns seen in other crops.

Seed quality remains the sector’s biggest bottleneck, according to Nguyễn Thị Bích Ngọc, deputy director of the Plant Protection Research Institute.

She called for a national standard for disease-free seedlings, adoption of a three-tier net-house system to control seed sources and stronger oversight of commercial seed markets.

She recommended developing large-scale, uniform raw material zones with standardised cultivation practices and regular supervision from technical authorities.

Enterprises at the forum expressed optimism about Việt Nam’s commercial prospects, citing competitive production costs, favourable harvest seasons, and high fruit quality.

However, they acknowledged challenges, including small-scale production, weak value-chain linkages and limited international brand recognition.

Many proposed a five-stakeholder model involving the State, enterprises, cooperatives, farmers and banks to establish sustainable production contracts and risk-sharing mechanisms. — VNS