The Republic of Korea (RoK) is the second largest export market of the southern province of Dong Nai with an export turnover reaching 644 million USD in the first half of this year.

According to Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade Le Van Danh, the RoK needs vegetables and fruit. Last year, it imported 6,000 tonnes of mango and the figure is projected to climb to 10,000 tonnes in 2014.

Nguyen Thi Le Hong, General Director of the Dong Nai Food Industry Corporation (DOFICO), said her firm has signed a contract with the RoK-based Nam Sa company to provide farm produce for the East Asian market and established its ties with other Korean affiliates.

DOFICO and Nam Sa have also reached a deal on expanding a grass growing project to meet increasing demand of the RoK breeding industry.

Korean businesses have planned to boost trade ties with Dong Nai’s agro-aquatic product exporters and expand a distribution network for the goods in their home market.

An increasing demand for healthy food and safe fruit in the Korean market and its limited domestic production are forcing the RoK to import a large volume of such commodities, according to Nam Sa General Director Choi Young Chul.

Nam Sa pays much attention to buying Vietnamese fruits and working with Vietnam’s businesses to boost dried-fruit consumption in the RoK market, he added.-VNA