Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam imported around 451 millionUSD worth of fruit and vegetable in the first four months of this year, with107 million USD spent in April alone.
The four-month figure represented a 43 percent increase fromthe same period last year.
Meanwhile, export of fruit and vegetable in theJanuary-April period earned Vietnam over 1.32 billion USD, up 29.5 percent yearon year. In breakdown, fruit shipments brought home 1.05 billion USD andvegetables, 159 million USD.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said theprices of some types of fruit, including mango, grape fruit and orange, in theMekong Delta went down in April due to abundant supply as it was harvest time.
The ministry forecasts a bumper harvest for litchi andlongan this summer in northern provinces. It held a conference in April toprepare for the sale promotion for the two kinds of fruit.
The northern provinces of Bac Giang, Hung Yen, Hai Duong and Son La haveproposed boosting exports of litchi and longan to foreign markets, includingChina.
Per the request, the MARD, Ministry of Industry and Trade and Ministry of Foreign Affairs willarrange talks with their Chinese counterparts to promote Vietnamese fruits’entrance into the country, via negotiation, plant quarantine agreements andremoving technical barriers.
At the same time, Nguyen Hong Son, head of the MARD’s Crop ProductionDepartment, said domestic litchi and longan consumption accounts for about 50percent of output, albeit this number is on the rise, mainly in urban areas.
Therefore, it is necessary tofocus on these markets, by connecting producers with chain distributors andwholesale markets, while keeping current importers satisfied, such as China,the US, Japan and Australia, he said.
According to Son, his department has also been negotiating for higherfruit exports quota to Japan and the Republic of Korea, as many Japanese andKorean companies are keen on importing these fruits.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, Vice Chairwoman of Bac Giang provincialPeople’s Committee, said her province estimates 2018’s output of litchi at 150,000to 180,000 tonnes, nearly double last year’s number.
Such abundant yields, coupled with short harvesting time, storage andtransportation difficulties, have pressured the province to find an appropriateconsumption market.-VNA
