Mangoes grown in Yen Chau district, the northern mountain province of Son La, began being exported to the US, UK, Australian and Chinese markets on June 1.

Son La mangoes for exports

Speaking at a ceremony to announce the export of its speciality to the four key markets, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Hoang Van Chat said the event will help promote Son La mangoes in other markets around the world.

This is the first time Son La mangoes have been exported to the US and UK, two selective markets with strict criteria.

The ceremony was part of the Yen Chau Mango Festival 2019 held from May 31 to June 2 with booths introducing local agricultural and handicraft products, as well as various activities including a mango harvesting contest.

The province sold 15,000 tonnes of mangoes in the first five months of the year. The export volume was more than 2,500 tonnes.

With about 15,700ha of mango farms, output is expected to reach about 35,500 tonnes this year, of which the volume eligible for export will be more than 7,500 tonnes. These numbers mark significant growth compared to 2018.

Son La is the fifth locality in the country following Dong Thap, Vinh Long, An Giang and Tien Giang and the first in the north to export mangoes to these high potential markets.

Vietnamese mangoes have been exported to 40 countries and territories worldwide, including Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan (China), the EU, Australia, the US, the UK and Canada. It is the sixth fruit of Vietnam to be exported to the US, after dragon fruit, rambutan, longan, lychee and star apple.

The agriculture sector gained a trade surplus of 3.3 billion USD in the first five months of this year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The nation achieved an export value of 16.1 billion USD from agricultural, forestry and aquatic products during the period, a year-on-year increase of 1.2 percent, including 3.6 billion USD in May.

The sector spent 12.8 billion USD on agricultural, forestry and fishery imports in the first five months, up 2.1 percent over the same period last year. Of which, imports of fertilisers, pesticides and key agricultural products reached about 10.8 billion USD, up by 2.7 percent year-on-year.

However, the key agricultural product exports were estimated at 7.7 billion USD, down 9.5 percent over the same period.