US quarantine experts from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) are scheduled to arrive in Vietnam on September 2 to conduct an examination of the country’s fruit exports to the US market, according to the Plant Protection Department.

Representatives from the Plant Protection Department revealed that APHIS experts will have to undergo a quarantine period in line with regulations on novel coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention measures before they are permitted to head to Ho Chi Minh City in order to inspect local fruit exports. 

In March, as a result of the complicated nature of the COVID-19 epidemic, the US required the quarantine experts in charge of supervising the irradiation process of Son Son Irradiation Plant in Ho Chi Minh City to return home.

As a result of the departure of US quarantine officials from the country, plenty of fruit exports have been delayed from August 7- 21. 

At present, the nation has six types of fruit that are permitted to be exported to the US market, including dragon fruits, rambutans, longans, litchis, star apples, and mangoes, according to the Plant Protection Department.  

Last year saw the country export over 6,000 tonnes of fruit to the US market. Indeed, the nation shipped more than 3,000 tonnes of fruit to this market during the first half of the year, representing a slight increase compared to the same period last year. 

Fruit exports to the US market are therefore expected to enjoy robust growth ahead in the remaining months of the year due to the imminent peak of the harvest season for Vietnamese fruit exports to this market.