Fruit and vegetable exports see upswing in four months
VOV.VN - Vietnam raked in more than US$1.8 billion from exporting fruit and vegetables during the opening four months of the year, representing a year-on-year rise of 32.1%, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
With export orders increasing strongly, fruit and vegetable exporters earned US$1.3 billion in the first quarter of the year, marking the first time that their export earnings have exceeded the US$1 billion mark.
Notably, fruit and vegetable exports to major markets enjoyed positive growth in the reviewed period. China was the largest consumer, spending US$759.4 million on imports, up 32.4% year on year.
Meanwhile, exports to the Republic of Korea, the United States, and Thailand also surged by 59.3%, 33.9%, and 112% to reach US$74.6 million, US$67.7 million, and US$47.6 million, respectively.
Among the major fruits, durian is a potential export item that brought in more than US$2 billion out of a total of US$5.6 billion Vietnam earned from exporting fruit and vegetables last year. China alone imported nearly 600,000 tonnes of durian worth US$2.1 billion from Vietnam last year.
According to experts, although there remains plenty of room for fruit and vegetable exports moving forward, local businesses are required to further improve their product quality in order to secure a firm foothold in demanding markets and avoid risks of items being recalled.
The fruit and vegetable sector is anticipated to fetch between US$6 billion and US$6.5 billion in export turnover in 2024.