HCMC – Vietnam exported fruits and vegetables worth only US$2.45 billion between January and September, down 11% over the same period last year, according to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association (VINAFRUIT).
Vietnam might gain only US$3.2 billion from exporting fruits and vegetables in 2022, Dang Phuc Nguyen, VINAFRUIT’s General Secretary, said at the forum for Hortex Vietnam 2023 on October 11 in HCMC.
The nation’s veggie and fruit exports to China, the largest buyer in recent years, decreased by 35% year-over-year due to the northern neighbor’s Covid-induced border closures, delays in customs clearance and “zero Covid” policy.
However, Vietnam’s agricultural enterprises have made good use of free trade agreements and improved their product quality, increasing the export of fruits and vegetables to other markets such as the U.S., the EU, and Japan.
The January-August period saw Vietnam’s vegetable and fruit exports to the U.S. rise by 19% year-on-year at US$180 million.
It shows that Vietnam’s enterprises have been able to provide high-quality agricultural products meeting the strict requirements of those markets and are expected to lessen the dependence on trading activities with China.
In this situation, the trade promotion activities to diversify the export markets of fruit and vegetable products will be necessary and of great interest to the whole industry, according to VINAFRUIT.
The Horticultural and Floricultural Production and Processing Technology Exhibition (Hortex Vietnam 2023) will be a good opportunity for enterprises to contact their international partners, added Nguyen.
HortEx Vietnam 2023 will take place from March 1 to 3, 2023, at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center, HCMC, welcoming 250 exhibitors from 30 countries and some 7,000 visitors.
