Vietnam to resume imports of Australian fruits and vegetables
(VOV) - Vietnam will start importing its first fruit and vegetables from Australia on July 1, in a partial easing of an economic ban maintained due to the earlier detection of the fruit fly.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has confirmed the restrictions on grapes, oranges and mandarins will be the first lifted and allowed to transit into the country.
We hope this will be a new start that will benefit both farmer and economy, said Nguyen Xuan Hong, director of MARD’s Plantation Protection Department, in making the announcement.
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Hong added that other Australian fruit and vegetables will be allowed to access the Vietnam consumer market once they are determined to be free of insect manifestation.
Earlier this year MARD issued no import permits on 38 varieties of Australian fruit and vegetables into Vietnam after it determined the fruit fly could have ‘serious consequences’ for Vietnam’s horticultural industry.
Last year, Vietnam imported US$40 million worth of fruit and vegetables from Australia Hong said— adding that the grape industry made up US$32 million of that amount and was hit the hardest.