Vietnam, already established as a leading exporter of coffee and rice, is now strategically shifting its focus toward expanding its fruit and vegetable export portfolio.
Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports have reached $1.68 billion so far this year, representing a 28 percent increase compared with the same period last year, according to customs data.
Fruit and vegetables have become Vietnam’s third-largest source of hard currency, following coffee and cashews.
The General Department of Customs reports that China remains the largest importer of Vietnamese fruit and vegetables, with other significant markets including the United States, Canada, and South Korea.
At present, Vietnam is still a relatively small participant in the global market, ranking as the eighth-largest fruit exporter in Asia.
However, Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports expanded rapidly, rising to $1.85 billion last year, up from $900 million in 2013 and $622 million in 2011, according to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association.
Industry analysts project that Vietnam could generate up to $2.5 billion from fruit and vegetable exports this year, an increase of 35 percent from last year.
The government aims to achieve a ten-fold expansion in the coming years, prioritizing crops such as longan, dragon fruit, and lychees.
Growers of tropical fruits—including lychees and fresh dragon fruit—are exploring opportunities to enter more demanding, higher-value markets.
Data shows that Vietnam exported over 1 million tons of dragon fruit last year. Because the fruit can remain fresh for up to 40 days, it is primarily transported by sea at costs between 2 and 3 U.S. cents per kilogram, making Vietnamese dragon fruit highly price-competitive.
So far this year, Vietnam has exported more than 10 tons of lychees to Australia, according to the Vietnam Trade Office under the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia. The consumer market for lychees has expanded rapidly from the east coast cities of Sydney and Melbourne to the west coast city of Perth.
Vietnam first shipped lychees to Australia and the United States in 2015.
As of mid-September, Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports recorded faster growth than other major agricultural products.
The country, which is the world’s second-largest coffee producer, experienced a 22 percent year-on-year increase in coffee export value, reaching $2.37 billion over the past nine months. Cashew exports also rose by 13.6 percent, amounting to more than $1.89 billion.
Meanwhile, rice exports fell by 14 percent from the same period last year, totaling only $1.6 billion.
Vietnamese rice farmers and exporters have faced severe challenges caused by prolonged drought and saltwater intrusion.
In the first four months of this year, the United States rejected 1,700 tons of Vietnamese rice over safety concerns, according to the Vietnam Food Association, citing data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The FDA reported detecting eight active chemicals in the shipments at levels exceeding the maximum limits allowed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
