Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam exported over280 million USD worth of fruit and vegetables in January, a year-on-yeardecline of 20.6 percent, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.
The Import-Export Department of the Ministry ofIndustry and Trade said fruit and vegetables to China fell by more than 10percent in January against the same month last year.
The reduction was attributed to the temporaryclosure of border gates due to the outbreak of the acute respiratory diseasecaused by a novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The ministry suggested the sector proactivelyshould adjust production activities and seek to boost exports to other marketssuch as the US, Europe, Japan and Australia.
The sector aims to gross 5 billion USD fromexports in 2020 on the back of new-generation free trade agreements,according to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (VINAFRUIT).
With the EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement(EVFTA) expected to take effect this year, tariffs on Vietnamese fruit andvegetables will fall to zero, helping their value increase significantly.
Besides, the Comprehensive and ProgressiveAgreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) will open new markets forVietnamese products.
According to Dang Phuc Nguyen, the association’sgeneral secretary, the target is achievable, especially because a large amountof fruit and vegetables are now being grown under VietGAP and Global GAP standardsto meet requirements of selective markets.
Last year, shipments of fruit and vegetableslagged behind expectations, reaching only 3.8 billion USD, a year-on-year slideof one percent.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade said that2019 was a really tough year for the sector. China, the country’s largestimporter, tightened requirements for imports from Vietnam via strict quarantinemeasures and origin traceability.
However, growth was seen in shipments to severalmarkets such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (26.6 percent), theUS (10.7 percent) and the European Union (32.2 percent)./.
VNA