According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), there are about 130,000 hectares of bananas cultivation with an output of 2.1 million tonnes per year. Vietnamese bananas exports allowed to the Chinese market via official channel is an opportunity to form a professional banana industry in the Mekong Delta and Vietnam in general. Currently, the Vietnamese banana industry has replaced that of the Philippines as a top supplier in the Chinese market.

In Tri Ton District (An Giang Province), banana gardens have covered an area of 40 hectares, producing yields up to 50 tonnes per ha, earning a profit of VND30 - 40 million per ha instead of VND15 - 20 million per ha from growing rice as before. To sell at such high prices, the specialized cultivation areas must achieve VietGAP certification.

China remains a leading importer of Vietnamese durian - photo: Ngoc Thach

Head of An Giang Province’s Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection Nguyen Van Hien said that until now, the province has granted 34 growing area codes to facilitate exports to markets, including China, the Republic of Korea, and the United States. The locality is also considering calling for investments in pre-processing factories right in raw material areas for export to China as quickly as possible.

According to the Project on developing key industrial crops by 2030 issued by the MARD under Decision 431/QD-BNN-TT in 2024, the coconut growing areas will reach about 195,000 - 210,000 hectares by 2030, of which 30 percent will get growing area codes. From a modest export turnover of US$180 million in 2010, the coconut industry has grown strongly and is expected to exceed the US$1 billion mark in 2024.

China is also the market that has the greatest demand for Vietnamese coconuts. Recently, the MARD and the General Administration of Customs of China signed a protocol allowing official export of fresh coconut, opening up opportunities for the Vietnamese products.

With a population of up to 1.3 billion people, China has always been identified as the largest and most important market for Vietnamese agro-forestry-fishery products. To date, Vietnam has officially exported 14 agricultural products to the Chinese market. In particular, durian and dragon fruit are very popular with Chinese consumers, accounting for about 1/5 of China’s total agricultural product import volume from ASEAN.

General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association Dang Phuc Nguyen said, 2024 has been a bumper year for exports, especially of durian. The association estimated fruit and vegetable exports would hit US$7.1 billion for the year, up 27 percent from 2023, with durian accounting for half the value.

Durian exports are expected to rise in 2025 as Vietnam begins to ship durian pulp and puree to China. These products will bring more value than fresh durian, helping farmers make use of fruits that meet quality standards but are misshapen.

In particular, China’s market opening to Vietnamese fresh coconuts has created momentum for Vietnamese fruit and vegetable exports to reach new peaks.