A wealth of opportunities have been presented to Vietnamese fruit and vegetables to make inroads into the large EU market thanks to the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), according to the Import and Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

At present, the EU market imports a large quantity of fresh fruit from developing countries with products such as avocadoes, mangoes, and sweet potatoes being most popular. The trading bloc’s largest importer of fruit is the Netherlands, which is widely considered to be a gateway into the EU market.

This is reflected in statistics as the import value of fresh fruit and vegetables from developing countries to the Netherlands expanded by 55 per cent during the 2014 to 2018 period. Whilst over 20 per cent of fresh fruit and vegetables from emerging countries are distributed to other EU nations through the Netherlands.

The Import and Export Department recommends that in order to successfully export to the trading bloc, domestic exporters need to workout concrete plans to gain access to importers, distribution channels, and retail systems in the Netherlands and the EU market.

Vietnamese enterprises have been advised to pay closer attention to the requirements set out on food safety, product quality, the environment, and business climate as a means of gaining entry to the market.

Aside from the potential advantages brought about by the EVFTA, fruit and vegetable enterprises should focus on renovating production and improving the overall quality of their products.

This can be done through applying high technology in production, processing, packaging, and transportation activities, whilst also joining the global supply chain to meet the stringent requirements set out by export markets, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

The MARD also stated that when Vietnamese businesses are exporting to these demanding markets, they must meet requirements regarding the rules of origin in order to enjoy preferential tariffs or quotas stated in the commitments stipulated in the EVFTA.