Since early 2011, many European countries have stopped importing fresh fruit because it did not meet Global GAP standards and this has caused a decline in prices.

The price of grapefruit fell by VND10,000 per kilogram to VND18,000 per kilogram, while longans dropped by VND8,000 to VND12,000 per kilogram.

Nguyen Minh Chau, Director of the Southern Fruit Research Institute, said exporting fruit to Europe will improve its value and help farmers and exporters earn higher profits. If Vietnam depends on easy markets, farmers will suffer losses.

Currently, European markets are keen on Vietnamese tropical fruits, such as grapefruit, bananas, papayas, dragon fruit and mangoes. However, they are considered luxury markets so they require all fruit to meet Global GAP standards.

The State should devise policies to help farmers produce fruit according to Global Gap standards to expand export markets  and stabilise farmers’ profits.