During January-September, the nation earned approximately US$5.7 billion from exporting fruits and vegetables, a year-on-year increase of 34 percent.

Durian was the key hard currency earner, with an export turnover of about US$2.5 billion. Other fruits such as dragon fruit, banana, jackfruit and mango also contributed significantly to export growth.

The strong growth in exports showed that the quality of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables has improved to meet the export markets' requirements.

China is a populous market with high demand for fruits and vegetables and it is also a traditional market for many kinds of Vietnamese fruits. Meanwhile, Japan and South Korea are also populous countries with high incomes and great demand for quality agricultural products and fruits.

China, Japan, and South Korea are members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) established between ASEAN countries and China, South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, effective from January 1, 2022, with an objective of eliminating 90 per cent of tarriffs within two decades.

When exporting to these markets, Vietnamese enterprises not only benefit from the tariffs but also from reduced transportation and logistics costs, thus they can maintain the quality of agricultural products compared to distant markets.

During the nine months, the imported fruits mainly came from China US$3.8 billion, making up 67 percent and up 38 percent; and Thailand US$202 million, up 87 percent.

Thanks to a steady double-digit growth in recent times, Viet Nam's fruit and vegetable exports will likely hit a record high of US$7 billion this year./.