Two more Vietnamese fruits receive green light to enter New Zealand

A document to this effect was signed by the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and New Zealand's Ministry of Agriculture and for Trade and Export Growth, Biosecurity, Land Information and Rural Communities, in Hanoi on November 15 during NZ Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Vietnam visit.

The signing of the agreement is said to open up bright prospects for other Vietnamese agricultural products to penetrate the demanding market moving forward, according to MARD officials.

Statistics from the MARD show the trade turnover of agro-forestry-fishery exports between Vietnam and New Zealand last year reached approximately US$550 million, accounting for 41% of the total bilateral trade revenue.

Both sides also inked an agreement to facilitate customs clearance of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products through the use of electronic certificates in July 2020.

At present, working groups of the two countries have deployed an electronic certification system on a pilot basis. They are now facilitating procedures to open each other’s markets for agricultural products.

MARD Minister Le Minh Hoan expressed his hope that both Vietnam and New Zealand will cooperate in developing high-tech agricultural value chains, as well as strengthening connectivity with the global market.

New Zealand has committed to funding the implementation of a project to develop high-quality Vietnamese fruit trees (VietFruit). The project is to provide support for Vietnamese farmers as they develop premium varieties and get further involved in high-value supply chains.