Vietnamese passion fruit, lychees favourites with EU consumers
VOV.VN - Vietnam has exported various kinds of tropical fruits to the European Union, but passion fruit and lychees are among items that are much sought after by EU consumers, according to the Import-Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The country made up the fifth largest supplier of fresh tamarinds, jackfruit, lychees, plums, passion fruit, and star fruit to the EU during the first quarter of the year, said the department.
It exported a total of 1,490 tonnes of these fruits to the market worth EUR9 million, representing a decline of 9.6% in volume but an increase of 12.7% value against the same period from last year.
Data from the statistical office of the European Union show throughout the 2016 - 2020 period, the EU’s import demand for fresh tamarinds, jackfruit, lychees, plums, and passion fruit fell by 0.2% per year in volume, whilst recording an annual rise of 4.5% in value.
The Netherlands represents the largest supplier of these products to the EU during the first quarter of the year, followed by Colombia, South Africa, Belgium, and Vietnam.
The average import price of the fruit from the Dutch market reached EUR3,762.4 per tonne, a rise of 20% on-year against the same period from 2020, while the import price from Vietnam remained high at EUR6,067.1 per tonne, an annual increase of 24.8%.
Vietnam mainly exported passion fruit to the EU market, with the export value accounting for 97.9% of the total export value of the product.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese lychee also enjoys bright export prospects ahead as the juicy fruit is also selling well in the EU. Batches of fresh lychees have been shipped to the EU recently under the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and the fruit is favourite with local consumers.
According to the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries, lychee is an increasingly popular fruit in the EU. The bloc’s lychee import market size stands at between 20,000 tonnes and 25,000 tonnes each year, which will open up a wealth of opportunities for Vietnamese lychee to penetrate the market moving forward.
