Fruit and vegetable exports to fastidious markets such as the Republic of Korea, Taiwan (China), the United States, and Japan have witnessed robust growth during the initial ten months of the year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The export value of local fruit and vegetables throughout the reviewed period recorded a decline of 12.5% to US$2.72 billion in comparison with the same period from last year.

China remained as the largest importer of Vietnamese fruit and vegetables, making up 57.5% of the overall market share with an export value of US$1.43 billion, an annual decrease of 25.9%. Elsewhere, exports to Hong Kong (China) and the Netherlands endured falls of 2% and 3.7%, respectively.

According to the Agro-Processing and Market Development Authority (Agrotrade), this decline in domestic fruit and vegetable exports can be attributed to a sharp fall occurring in export turnover of several fruit products, including dragon fruit, bananas, lemons, and durians.

Agrotrade attributed the increase in China’s imports to the high demand that typically occurs around the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, along with shortages of the supply sources of fruit and vegetables caused by the impact of devastating floods which have hit Hubei province.

Fruit and vegetable exports are projected to witness a positive outlook during the remaining months of the year as a result of an increase in Chinese’s import demand, in addition to the positive effects of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).