Fruit and vegetable exports expected to reach nearly 5 billion USD in value

Vietnam's export of fruits and vegetables experienced strong growth within the first six months of 2023. According to the General Department of Customs of Vietnam, the export value of Vietnam's fruits and vegetables reached 662.1 million USD by June 2023, which is an increase of 0.9% compared to May 2023 and an increase of 158.2% compared to June 2022. This is the second month in a row that Vietnam recorded a strong growth in the export of fruits and vegetables.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, China increased its purchases of fruit in the month of June, which coincides with Vietnam's fruits season, resulting in a strong increase in the export of Vietnam's fruits and vegetables to this market grow. Accordingly, the export value reached 482 million USD, which is 82 million USD higher compared to that of June 2022.

The Protocols on Plant Quarantine signed between Vietnam and China in 2022 have greatly supported the export of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables since the beginning of 2023. Although China imposes increasingly strict technical barriers on food safety and hygiene, Vietnamese fruits and vegetables remain favored by Chinese consumers thanks to their high quality and competitive prices. Consequently, the export value of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables to the Chinese market reached 1.76 billion USD in the first half of 2023, which is an increase of 121.9% over the same period in 2022.

China is the largest export market for Vietnamese fruits and vegetables, accounting for nearly 66% of the export turnover in the first six months of 2023. As a result, the substantial growth of fruits and vegetables export to the Chinese market has considerably raised the overall export value of fruits and vegetables in the first half of 2023. Namely, the export value of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables reached 2.7 billion USD in the first six months of 2023, which is an increase of 60.1% over the same period in 2022.

In addition to the Chinese market, the export of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables to South Korea, the Netherlands, and the United Arab Emirates recorded strong growth rates in the first half of 2023. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam's export of fruits will continue to grow in the second half of 2023 thanks to China's strong recovery in fruit purchasing, particularly while Vietnam is in the harvest season for many key fruits for export to this market.

It is expected that Vietnam will harvest nearly 7.6 million tons of key fruits including mango, banana, dragon fruit, pineapple, orange, litchi, longan, durian, jackfruit, avocado, etc. by the third and fourth quarter of 2023. With an abundant supply, export of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables in the second half of 2023 will see a positive growth if they meet the requirements of the Chinese marke regarding good agricultural practice (GAP).

The Import and Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade assessed that at the current growth rate, the export of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables has the potential for positive development in the second half of 2023, especially during the festive season when market demands increase noticeably.

The Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association forecasts that the export turnover of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables will reach 4.5 billion USD by the end of 2023. Moreover, if China continues to grant additional production unti codes for Vietnamese durian, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable industry can potentially earn nearly 5 billion USD in 2023.

In response to the increasing demand for fruits and vegetables domestically and globally, Long An province's agricultural sector has planned for the development of fruit production in the region. Accordingly, the fruit tree production area in Long An will reach 32,000 hectares by 2030, with an output of over 500,000 tons per year. Additionally, the production area for key fruit trees such as dragon fruit, lemon, pineapple, jackfruit, durian, banana, etc. will reach 24,000 hectares with an output of over 400,000 tons per year.

According to Long An province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the entire province had 271 production unit codes for fruits and vegetables with 13,462 hectares of active production area by June 2023, including: 226 dragon fruit codes; 25 lemon code; 13 watermelon codes; 2 banana codes; 2 mango codes; 2 durian codes, 1 sweet potato code. Long An's locally-grown fruits such as dragon fruit, watermelon, banana and jackfruit have been officially exported to Chinese market.