Increasing the value of Vietnam’s fruit specialties

In 2016, Vietnam, for the first time, earned nearly US$2 billion from exporting vegetables and fruits with the Mekong Delta being the main contributor.

The turning-point opened a new direction for the restructuring of Vietnam’s agriculture whose key export items will include rice and fruit specialties.

During the early days of 2017, mango growing cooperatives in Dong Thap province invited foreign businesses and domestic exporters to come to scout cooperative opportunities.

Huynh Thanh Ba, Deputy Director of the My Xuong Mango Cooperative, said that selling prices are higher and more stable thanks to the production of safe farm produce.

Ba says My Xuong cooperative and many other producers are producing qualified products that meet the standards of demanding import markets.

“Local farmers have tried to export 70% of their total output, selling the rest to the domestic market. If they hit this target, they will have a stable income and can get rich”, he added.

Last year, 74% of Vietnam’s total vegetable and fruit export revenue come from the Mekong Delta. The region’s blue dragons, longans, watermelons, and mangoes have conquered demanding markets including Japan, the US, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Australia, and the Republic of Korea.

Our fruits fetch high prices. Cat Hoa Loc mangoes, for example, sell for up to US$12 each at the Japanese city of Fukuoka’s fruit auction”, said Professor Vo Tong Xuan, a leading Vietnamese agronomist.

Le Minh Hoan, Secretary of the Party Committee of Dong Thap, the leading province in agricultural restructuring, said that if the quality of input materials is well controlled, Vietnam’s future revenue from vegetable and fruit exports could double or even triple over 2016.

“It’s not easy to penetrate a market, but it’s even harder to keep it. Vietnamese farmers and cooperatives should keep the trust of customers and think of long-term business and farming targets. Enterprises should guide farmers”, Hoan said.

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