Vietnam enjoyed a sharp increase in exporting fruit and vegetables abroad in August, but its eight-month export of the products fell more than 10%, the Import and Export Department has reported. 

According to the department, August alone saw the country rake in US$280 million from exporting a variety of fruit and vegetables, representing an increase of 25.9% from the previous month. Yet, its overall eight-month export of the products declined by 11.3% on-year to US$2.26 billion.

This decline can largely be attributed to a declining demand for fruit and vegetables in the Chinese market, with export turnover throughout the seven-month period plummeting by 28.9% to US$1.15 billion compared to the same period from last year. 

China, Vietnam’s largest trading partner, has recently moved to tighten export requirements, especially in relation to goods being introduced at supermarkets by examining documents relating to product quality and certificate of origin, which has ultimately led to numerous difficulties for local fruit exports to the Chinese market. 

Elsewhere, fruit and vegetable exports to the Republic of Korea, the United States, Thailand, Japan, and Taiwan (China) enjoyed robust growth, representing an annual increase of 22.6%, 7,1%, 215,5%, 11,9%, and 73,1%, respectively. 

There are a number of bright prospects ahead for fruit and vegetable exports during the remaining months of the year, said experts. Mostly recently, US quarantine experts from the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service arrived in Vietnam to conduct an examination of the local fruit exports after a period of disruption due to the novel coronavirus. 

Furthermore, several types of local fruit such as red dragon fruit and frozen durian have been exported to demanding markets including Japan, Russia, and Australia.