Japanese apples have been sold at supermarkets in Vietnam since last year ( Photo: baocongthuong.com.vn) Hanoi (VNA)– The country’s import of vegetables and fruits saw strong growth in the firsttwo months of 2017, especially from Thailand and China.
Vietnam spent 164 million USD importing vegetables and fruits during Jan-Feb, ayear-on-year increase of 54.7 percent, the General Department of Customs said.
Most imports were from Thailand, which accounted for 50 percent or 82 millionUSD, and China, which stood at 19 percent or 31 million USD, of the totalvegetable and fruit imports.
Other major markets that Vietnam has imported vegetables and fruits from arethe US for a value of 13 million USD, New Zealand for 3.8 million USD andAustralia for 2.5 million USD.
The import value of vegetables and fruits from Thailand in the first two monthsdoubled the figure of the same period in 2016, the general department said.
Since 2012, Vietnam’s average vegetable and fruit import value has surged from 200million USD per year to 1 billion USD.
According to the ministries of agriculture and rural development and ofindustry and trade, the country has been importing vegetable and fruit productsmostly from Asia Pacific countries. The main items imported include cabbage,lettuce, potato, orange and apple from China; apple, orange and cherry from NewZealand and Australia; and mango, custard apple and tamarind fromThailand, dantri.com.vn has reported.
Recently, the General Department of Customs warned that many goods that arebeing produced locally have been imported, increasing the trade deficit. Theyincluded vegetables and fruits from China, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand.
The department pointed out that vegetable and fruit imports from Thailand haveincreased sharply in the past two years, and that many of these products arealready produced at home.
Thai vegetables and fruits entered the local market via distribution channelsof hypermarkets and modern retail shops after Thai retail groups bought twolarge hypermarkets, Big C and Metro, in 2015 and 2016. They have been promotingThai products at the hypermarkets as well as retail sale systems in Vietnam.
Also, since 2015, the country eliminated import tariffs on ordinary goods fromThailand.
Vu Vinh Phu, Chairman of the Hanoi Supermarket Association, said Vietnam shouldonly import vegetables and fruits that it did not produce locally, such ascherries. It was importing fruits that it grows, such as longan, mango, durianand dragon fruit, which has affected the Vietnamese vegetable and fruitproducers, whose competitive ability in terms of quality and price is weak,reported vneconomy.vn.
Local enterprises should improve quality of products and increase production,Phu said, adding that they should be competitive in terms of not just price,but also quality and customer care.-VNA
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