Hanoi (VNA) ♚– Popularity is growing for Vietnamese fruits in large-scale markets such as the US, China, Japan and the EU, meaning great potential in export growth thanks to the expansion of markets.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), vegetable and fruit export turnover in the first eight months of this year surged more than 30% to 4.63 billion USD. Particularly, durian continued to break export records, becoming the major contributor to that strong growth. The Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association (Vinafruit), the durian export value was estimated to reach over 1.8 billion USD, contributing 40% to the total export figure of vegetables and fruits. China is currently the largest export market for Vietnamese durian, while Vietnam is the second largest supplier of fresh durian to China. In 2023, Vietnam supplied about 500,000 tonnes of fresh durian to the world for 2.3 billion USD, of which 90% was exported to China. According to traders, the price of durian is expected to increase in 2024 due to strong demand from the Chinese market, which is forecast to continue to surge during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. It is predicted that durian export turnover will increase further in the last months of the year. Notably, in August, Vietnam signed a protocol on exporting frozen durian to China, opening a new turning point in durian exports with stronger and more stable revenue.

Vinafruit General Secretary Dang Nguyen Phuc held that the promotion of frozen durian exports will be helpful, especially in the peak season when oversupply is seen. This will increase the value of durian and raise income for growers and businesses. This protocol also lays the foundation for the future development of the durian industry in the direction of increasing processing, matching world trends. Nguyen predicted that durian exports in the remaining months of this year will continue to rise, making the export target of 3.5 billion USD for the whole year feasible. The MARD also forecast that durian exports in 2024 can hit 3-3.5 billion USD, including 400-500 million USD from frozen products. MARD Deputy Minister Hoang Trung said that currently, Vietnam has about 1.1 million hectares of potential fruit farming areas, especially tropical fruits such as dragon fruit, mango, lychee, longan, durian, and rambutan, which are those bringing in high value. Each year, Vietnam produces 12-14 million tonnes of fruits, which are choice products in a host of markets. To date, Vietnamese fruits are available in large markets such as China, the US, Japan, Taiwan (China), and the EU. More evidence of success in fruit exports is that the export value grows each year, with increasing volume, said Trung, adding that this shows that the quality of Vietnamese fruit meets consumer taste in major markets. The Deputy Minister said that the ministry has been working hard to coordinate with other ministries, sectors and agencies to negotiate on the settlement of technical barriers to further expand the market for Vietnamese fruits and vegetables. He revealed that the US is finalising procedures to import Vietnamese passion fruit, making it the ninth fruit from Vietnam to be sold in this market. Meanwhile, a Vietnamese fruit festival is scheduled to be held in Beijing on the occasion of the Vietnam-China Inter-Governmental Committee’s meeting from September 29-30. With positive signals recorded so far, Vietnam can reach a new record of 7 billion USD in fruit and vegetable export turnover this year./.