Globe’s appetite for Vietnam fruit and vegetables grows
(VOV) - The value of fruit and vegetable exports has climbed 123.7% from a year earlier in the eleven months leading up to December to US$1.673 billion, according to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (Vinafruit).
In a post on its website, Vinafruit attributed the positive results principally to a bountiful harvest and sustained higher outbound shipments to China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK).
China was the largest market for the eleven-month period, accounting for a 65% market share, with exports tallying in at US$989.67 million, a 268.76% spike over last year’s same period.
The major items shipped to Vietnam’s northern neighbour were mangos, bananas, dragon fruit and rambutans.
Meanwhile consignments to Japan, the second largest market, nearly doubled at US$62.32 million, followed by the RoK with gross revenue surging 116% to US$56.53 million.
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Vinafruit says Japan has opened the door wider to fruit and vegetables largely as a result of the installation of state-of-the-art machinery and equipment in all phases of production and transport, which has greatly improved product quality.
The Japanese market is a bellwether for the future of exports in the global market says Vinafruit as products meeting the stringent quality and safety standards for entry into it will likely pass muster in most other markets around the world.
However, ongoing structural changes in the industry are needed to drive food supply chains to adopt closer coordination between farmers, producers and exporters to better meet consumer demands.
In an industry driven by consumers’ retail pull, companies will need to continuously reorient themselves to remain competitive, says Vinafruit and respond to market signals to adjust and maintain their positions in the industry.
Additionally, as the fruit and vegetable industry becomes more global, much more effort needs to be placed into performing marketing surveys and studies to cater to specific demands in segments of each market.
Most importantly, the industry should concentrate on boosting the rate of farmers applying VietGap technology, says Vinafruit adding that if it were more widely applied, export revenue of US$2 billion would be well within reach.