The first batch of Vietnamese dragon fruit has been exported to Australia by the Hoang Phat one-member Ltd Co. (Photo: VNA) Long An (VNA) – Thefirst batch of Vietnamese dragon fruit has been exported to Australia by theHoang Phat one-member Ltd Co in the southern province of Long An, announced theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Long An authorities onSeptember 20.
According to Hoang Phat CompanyDirector Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa, the batch comprised 3 tonnes of white-fleshdragon fruit.
Deputy Minister of Agricultureand Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam said the export of the first batch ofdragon fruit to Australia is an important event for the agricultural sector,marking the efforts of farmers, exporters and relevant agencies.
Pham Van Canh, Vice chairman ofLong An People’s Committee said the success opens the way for the province’sfruit to enter other choosy markets. He added that at present, 80 percent ofdragon fruit grown in Long An is shipped to China, 15 percent is sold on thedomestic market and only five percent is exported to other markets includingJapan, Thailand, the US and Europe.
He said the provincialauthorities will provide more guidance to local farmers and exporters inimproving production and preservation techniques to meet Australia’srequirements.
Australia recently announcedthat it would permit the import of Vietnamese dragon fruit, making Vietnam thefirst country to get licence to export fresh dragon fruit to the country.
Dragon fruit is one of Vietnam’skey export fruits, and saw export sales worth 895.7 million USD in 2016,accounting for 50.3 percent of the country’s total fresh fruit exports and 36.1percent of its total fruit and vegetables exports.
Vietnamese dragon fruit has beenexported to 40 countries and territories such as China, Thailand and Indonesia.
Long An province earns about 40million USD annually from dragon fruit export. The province has defined dragonfruit as one of its key crops, only after rice. –VNA
VNA
