Mr. Phung Duc Tien, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that the estimated export turnover of fruits and vegetables in 2024 will reach 7.12 billion USD, an increase of 27.1% compared to 2023. This is the first year that the fruit and vegetable industry has reached and surpassed the threshold of 7 billion USD.

Regarding the export market of the fruit and vegetable industry, China is the overwhelming leader with up to 4.3 billion USD, accounting for more than 60% of all fruit and vegetable export markets of Vietnam and an increase of 27% over the same period last year. In second place is the US market, although it has increased by 37%, it has only reached 320 million USD. South Korea and Thailand are the third and fourth largest markets consuming fruits and vegetables from Vietnam, respectively.

Results From Production To Market Opening

In terms of exported fruits and vegetables, durian is still at the top of the list with an estimated turnover of 3.3 billion USD; second is dragon fruit with 435 million USD; followed by bananas, mangoes, jackfruit, coconuts, watermelons, etc.

With durian, although it has only been officially exported to China in the past two years, it has become the dominant commodity with an export value accounting for nearly half of the total export turnover of the whole industry. In particular, this fruit, which is very popular in the Chinese market, has had impressive growth in 2024, increasing by more than 1.1 billion USD compared to 2023.

Mr. Phung Duc Tien, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, commented: “Along with the effective exploitation of the Chinese market, the conversion of many ineffective rice areas, along with the direction of spreading production, has created a remarkable growth in the output of key fruits, helping Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports achieve remarkable achievements in recent times”.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said that in 2024, the market share of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables will continue to increase in many major markets, from 3rd to 2nd place in China, or the United States with a growth of more than 30%, Thailand with a growth of more than 80%. Vietnamese fruits and vegetables are currently present in more than 60 markets. In addition to fresh products, Vietnamese fruits and vegetables also have processed and deep-processed products.

“This result is due to the accumulation of achievements from previous years. Most fruit trees require a long investment period, from 3-5 years. The number of officially exported fruits and vegetables is increasing. Currently, China has licensed 15 Vietnamese fruit and vegetable products, contributing to the positive growth of products such as durian, banana, coconut, etc. Trade promotion activities for fruits and vegetables are increasingly receiving attention and investment from all levels, sectors, and industry associations. At the same time, with 16 new-generation Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) signed by Vietnam, the fruit and vegetable industry today has many opportunities to access potential markets,” said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh.

2025: Breakthrough Opening Of The Us Market

Looking towards 2025, the Chairman of the Fruit and Vegetable Association believes that the trade war between the United States and China, global geopolitical conflicts, etc. are major challenges. Therefore, to have more sustainable exports, it is necessary to pay attention to post-harvest technology, improve product quality, and improve business compliance capacity. “Together, we will go further,” affirmed the Chairman of the Fruit and Vegetable Association.

Forecasting the prospects for 2025, Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Fruit and Vegetable Association, said that fruit and vegetable exports will reach the 8 billion USD mark, and this industry will soon enter the export group reaching 10 billion USD by 2027.

According to Mr. Nguyen, fruit and vegetable exports still have a lot of room to expand in major markets. Among them, there are many new factors emerging such as frozen durian, fresh coconut exported to China, passion fruit currently negotiating with the United States.

“Enterprises processing and exporting fruits in general and fruits in particular are facing a great opportunity to increase export turnover, because the world market demand for this source of goods is increasing, while Vietnam is doing a very good job of opening the market,” Mr. Nguyen emphasized.

Regarding Vietnam’s passion fruit, Mr. Hoang Trung, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, informed: It is expected that in 2025, it will be officially licensed for export to the US market. This is the result of negotiations between Vietnam and the US on phytosanitary measures for this fruit.

Deputy Minister Hoang Trung said that in order to have more sustainable exports, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will continue to negotiate to open the market, support the development of growing area codes, packaging facility codes, and develop national standards for key products. Along with that, there will be stricter legal institutions to help protect genuine producers.

However, to maintain and expand the market and increase export value, Deputy Minister Hoang Trung recommended that businesses must strictly comply with the standards set by importing countries; at the same time, build a sustainable and substantial production chain from growing areas, packaging facilities, plant quarantine treatment facilities, and exports to create quality products. In addition, businesses need to pay attention to post-harvest technology to both improve product quality, added value, and limit seasonal risks.

Source: VNECONOMY.VN