The Chinese market is open for passion fruit and durian imports

Fruit production is estimated at 7.3 million tons in 2022

The Executive Group of the 970 Agricultural Product Connection Forum under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development held an online forum on June 8 with the theme "Strengthening solutions for sustainable development of production and consumption of key southern fruit products".

According to Mr. Le Thanh Tung, Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), the output of Southern key fruit trees in 2022 is estimated at over 7.3 million tons. Specifically, the output for the first 6 months of the year is estimated at 3.3 million tons while that of the last 6 months is estimated at 4.1 million tons.

Some provinces have high output including dragon fruit in Binh Thuan, Long An, Tien Giang; pomelos in Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Tien Giang; mango in An Giang, Dong Thap, Tien Giang, Khanh Hoa, Dong Nai; jackfruit in Tien Giang, Hau Giang, Dong Nai; passion fruit in Gia Lai, Dak Lak.

Mr. Tung added that Vietnam's fruit product exports currently consist mainly of fresh fruits at 75.9%; the remaining are processed fruits. The top 10 Vietnamese fresh fruit exports in 2021 include dragon fruit (accounting for the highest percentage at 33.9%), mango (6.5%), banana, jackfruit, coconut, durian, lemon, watermelon, lychee, passion fruit. The top 10 consumption markets for Vietnamese fruits comprises of China, the US, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Russia, and Australia.

Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, the export value of vegetables and fruits still rose, reaching 3.55 billion USD, an increase of 8.6% compared to 2020.

China approves import of Vietnamese passion fruit

At the forum, Mr. Le Van Thiet, Deputy Director of the Department of Plant Protection (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), said that China has recently approved the import of Vietnamese passion fruit into Guangdong province through the border gates in Lang Son and Quang Ninh under following a pilot model.

Regarding general terms, passion fruit exports must originate from an area with a planting area code, with a packing facility code, and must be pest-free and meet food safety. Businesses looking to export this item need to contact the Department of Plant Protection for registration and guidance. This is a fruit with great potential in China, which can bring high export value.

"China is the largest import market for Vietnamese fruit and they are increasing online examinations of planting areas and packing facilities that have been granted codes, especially for items such as dragon fruit, mango, watermelon, etc. They also recorded a few cases of failure to meet the criteria for Covid-19 control. Therefore, planting areas, packing facilities, businesses and localities must pay close attention to the regulations because China will only notify 3 to 5 days in advance. When violations are detected, imports may be suspended depending on the severity, affecting the consumption of agricultural products", said Mr. Le Van Thiet.

As for the export of Vietnamese durians to China, the Deputy Director of the Department of Plant Protection said that negotiation is in the final stages. He hopes that the negotiation will finalize early so that within this year, Vietnamese durians can be exported to this potential market.

The export of fresh fruit to fastidious markets has multiple varying requirements. For the US, Australia and New Zealand markets, fresh fruits are required to be irradiated before being exported. For the Japanese, Korean, Australian, New Zealand markets, hot steam treatment is required. Few countries require cold treatment methods for fresh fruit exports.

According to Deputy Director of the Department of Plant Protection, Vietnam has exported 6 types of fruits to the US market, namely dragon fruit, mango, litchi, longan, rambutan, and star apple. The negotiation process between the two countries to export Vietnamese pomelos to the US is currently in its final stages. It is expected that in a few months, the United States market will open its door to Vietnam's pomelos.

For the Japanese market, Vietnam is currently exporting 3 types of fresh fruits: dragon fruit, mango, and litchi. The Department of Plant Protection is currently negotiating with the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture to export longan using cold gas treatment.