Agro-forestry-aquatic exports to China record positive growth in nine months
VOV.VN - Vietnam’s agro-forestry-aquatic exports reached US$38.48 billion in the past nine months of the year, of which exports to China accounted for up to 22.1%, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Amid the global trade negatively impacted by a sharp decrease in purchasing power, Vietnamese farm produce to China enjoyed impressive growth with fruit and vegetable exports to the market making up 64% of the country’s total revenue.
So far China has licensed 12 fruit and vegetable products and approved over 800 seafood processing facilities, along with dozens of seafood packaging facilities in Vietnam. The General Administration of Customs of China has recently agreed to pilot the import of Vietnamese passion fruits.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phung Duc Tien said that Vietnam will continue to negotiate with China on protocols regarding imports and exports, especially for items such as watermelon, frozen durian, chili, medicinal herbs, and citrus fruits.
Experts noted that with positive signs from China’s opening for Vietnamese agricultural products, local export firms are required to learn more about China’s import regulations after China raised standards on quarantine, origin traceability, and labeling, as well as food hygiene and safety standards for agro-forestry-fisheries products originating from Vietnam.
Ngo Xuan Nam, deputy director of the Vietnam Sanitary and Phytosaniary Notification Authority and Enquiry Point (SPS Vietnam Office), said Chinese consumers are increasingly concerned about the quality of agricultural products, especially in big cities where people are willing to pay more to get high-quality products with a clear origin.
Vietnamese producers must focus on standardisation in terms of product quality, packaging, labeling, food safety and hygiene, and origin traceability to fully meet the stricter Chinese import regulations, he stressed
Nam underscored the importance of improving the infrastructure system for export activities, including logistics services, goods preservation, and warehouses at border areas with China.
The experts also emphasised the need to strengthen the application of science and technology and digital transformation to increase efficiency and reduce costs by linking the chain of agro-forestry-fisheries exports to the northern neighbour.
