Fruit exports reveal growth potential

VNEconomyNews.com - Fruit exports to markets like the US, Japan and South Korea are set to increase this year because of improved quality, according to the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

In the first four months of this year, dragon fruits exported to the US reached 600 tonnes, equal to 70 per cent of last year's total.

During the same period, Japan imported 200 tonnes of dragon fruit, compared to 420 tonnes for the whole of last year.

Dragon fruit exports to South Korea reached 40 tonnes in the first four months after a ban was lifted last October.

Viet Nam is expected to export its first batch of rambutan to the US in the middle of this month, according to the Plant Protection Department.

At the end of last month, a group of experts from New Zealand visited Viet Nam to inspect preparations for exporting mango.

Export of the fruit to New Zealand is expected to begin early next year.

Nguyen Minh Chau, head of the Southern Fruit Research Institute, said total fruit exports for the year were estimated to reach US$500-510 million this year compared to $471 million last year.

Viet Nam had exported several kinds of fruit, including dragon fruit, HoaLoc mangos, Nam Roi grapefruit, Lo Renmilkfruit and long an, to the US, Japan, the UK, France and Canada thanks to the quality of the fruits, Chau said.

With the advancement of science, Vietnamese fruit could meet the requirements of all export markets, he added.

Provinces in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta, which has the largest fruit cultivation area in the country, have applied good agriculture practices under national and global standards.

TienGiang Province, for instance, has applied global Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards for cultivating the Lo Renmilkfruits.

Duong NghiaQuoc, director of the Dong Thap Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said his province was working with relevant agencies to apply Viet Gap standards for Cat Chu mango orchards in Cao Lanh District.

Many orchard owners have applied the same standards for Lai Vung mandarin and ChauThanglongan, he said.

After meeting Viet Gap standards, the orchards would upgrade to global Gap standards, he said.

Ben Tre Province is applying Global Gap standards on 20ha of green-peel grapefruits in its eponymous capital city. The local agricultural department said the application of this standard had eased the way for the fruit to be exported to Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Russia and China.

Source: vneconomynews.com