Thai fruit expand footprint across Vietnam
(VOV) -Imported fruit from Thailand are expanding their presence in the Vietnamese marketplace thanks to their good quality and price, much to the chagrin of Chinese fruit growers.
Official statistics show that nationwide Vietnamese imports of Thai fruit skyrocketed 63% in the first seven months of the year, consistent with the surge reported in Ho Chi Minh City.
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Van, a fruit retailer at HCM City’s Ba Chieu market, says Thai fruit are strongly favoured by Vietnamese consumers, adding that, the volume of imported fruit from China has substantially tapered off.
“Previously my shop sold many kinds of Chinese fruit, mostly oranges and apples. But now many local consumers want to buy Thai fruit so I double the amount of imported fruit from Thailand,” Van says.
Thanh, another shopkeeper in HCM City’s Binh Thanh district, says she has stopped purchasing fruit from China, and is focusing solely on Vietnamese and Thai fruit, particularly mangos and tamarinds.
Hoang, a trader of imported fruit at a HCM City-based wholesale market, reports Thai fruit have won the trust of consumers in Vietnam. In contrast, imports from China have declined around 20%, Hoang estimates.
Nguyen Thanh Ha, deputy director of Thu Duc district’s farm produce wholesale market management board, says around 1,300 tonnes of fruit are traded at Thu Duc district’s wholesale market every day. Nearly 410 tonnes are imported from overseas markets, mostly Thailand and China. Notably, Thai fruit are in much greater demand than their Chinese counterparts in the Vietnamese market, she says.
Ha reveals some kinds of Chinese fruit have high chemical residue surpassing the authorised level, therefore, many local fruit importers are seeking other sources from Thailand and European countries.
At present, Vietnamese retailers often import apples, oranges and grapes from China, and durians, rambutans, mangos, and tamarinds from Thailand. However, several big supermarkets like Big C and Co.opmart say they do not sell Thai vegetables and fruit.
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) statistics show Vietnam spent US$309.5 million on vegetables and fruit imports in the first seven months of 2014.
Thai imported fruit comprised 34.2% (equivalent to US$106 million) of the total, up 63% on-year.
Imported fruit from China on the other hand were valued at US$71.35 million, accounting for just 23% of the total, representing an overall decline of more than 5% on-year.