Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports have made a strong start to the year, with rising shipments and tighter compliance with international standards helping producers tap robust global demand, according to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association.

The association reported export earnings of nearly 532 million USD in April, bringing total export value to 2.06 billion USD in the first four months of the year, up 22% year-on-year.

Key export items included durian, jackfruit, coconut, passion fruit, pomelo and longan.

China remained Vietnam’s largest market, accounting for more than half of total export value, followed by the US, the Republic of Korea and Japan.

Imports of fruit and vegetables also rose by 25.7% year-on-year to about 761.4 million USD in the first quarter of 2026. Despite this increase, the sector recorded a trade surplus of nearly 998 million USD in the January–April period.

The strong early performance provides a foundation for the industry to target 10 billion USD in export value this year, the association said, noting that prospects for the second quarter remain positive as major fruits such as lychee, mango and durian enter peak harvest season.

New export protocols for frozen fruit and fresh coconut are also expected to support further growth.

The association’s General Secretary Dang Phuc Nguyen said businesses should modernise production, adopt advanced farming and post-harvest processes and ensure strict compliance with import market requirements.

He added that greater use of high technology, including digitalisation of growing areas and improvements in preservation and logistics, would be needed to strengthen competitiveness.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment said it would enhance coordination to standardise growing areas and tighten oversight of packaging facilities to ensure regulatory compliance, aiming to maintain stable exports to China while expanding into other markets.

Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports reached 8.5 billion USD last year./.