Vietnam, Australia clinch fruit trade deal

Cherry packs are sold at a fruit store in central Sydney August 5, 2013 - PHOTO: REUTERS

HCMC – Vietnam and Australia have reached an agreement in which Vietnamese firms can export dragon fruit to Down Under while Australian exporters can ship cherries to the Southeast Asian country.

According to the Australian Embassy, the deal was announced on August 24 during the working trip of Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Senator Anne Ruston to the Mekong Delta’s Can Tho City. Ruston is in Vietnam from August 22-26, representing Australia at the APEC high-level ministerial dialogue on food security and sustainable agriculture.

When Vietnamese dragon fruit is exported to Australia is unknown but the embassy said the exportation of Australian cherries to Vietnam will start in the 2017-2018 season. Export conditions are now agreed for cherries and dragon fruit so that trade in both commodities can commence as soon as possible.

Ruston said that through the Vietnam - Australia Agriculture Forum, both countries have been consistently working towards establishing the bio security conditions that would support safe and two-way trade in horticultural commodities. The processes with Vietnam are working effectively.

“At the recent meeting of our technical experts in Hanoi, both countries had positive discussions about our next horticulture market access priorities and I look forward to continuing our strong two-way trade relationship with Vietnam,” she said in a statement released on August 24. “We are also working closely with Vietnam to improve the existing market access conditions for Australian oranges, mandarins and table grapes.”

According to the embassy, annual exports of cherries have steadily grown from the 2011-2012 to 2015-2016 harvest, rising from US$16 million to US$76 million. Australia exported over 5,600 tons of cherries in the 2015-2016 season.