Vietnamese litchi being sold at Japanese supermarket. (Photo: VNA)

Hoan stressed the need to strictly comply with regulations related to labeling, traceability, cultivation area indication, quarantine, packaging, quality and types of agricultural products, and business code.

The ministry will maintain negotiations to remove barriers and increase the export of additional agricultural products to major and potential markets such as durian, bird nest, passion fruit, avocado, grapefruit and coconut to China; longan, grapefruit, and passion fruit to Japan; and shrimp, grapefruit, litchi, rambutan, processed poultry and cattle meat to the Republic of Korea.

It is important to invest more in improving the processing and preservation to increase the added value of products.

The ministry will maintain the effective implementation of free trade agreements (FTAs) signed with other countries and regions over the world, as well as the coordination with Vietnamese embassies, and trade and agriculture offices to collect and provide information about foreign markets and tastes for local businesses, and help them boost trade promotion, stated Hoan.

According to the minister, the export value of Vietnamese agro-forestry-aquatic products in the first five months of this year hit 23.2 billion USD, up 16.8 percent year-on-year.

The US, China and Japan were the three largest importers, accounting for 28 percent, 17.8 percent and 7 percent of the market share, respectively.