Vietnamese fruit, vegetable exporters seek opportunities in EU

Vegetable and fruit export revenue is expected to hit a new record of $3.6 billion in 2017, with bumper crops forecast for the rest of the year. — Photo baodautu

HÀ NỘI — A delegation of Vietnamese fruit and vegetable export firms will travel to three European countries -- France, Germany and Poland -- to explore business opportunities there, baodautu reported.

During the upcoming trip, these enterprises will have an opportunity to get updated with the latest technical information from the three mentioned markets and study consumer trends to draw up effective business strategies to boost exports.

The firms will be offered a chance to exchange business opportunities and establish new partnerships.

The visit, which is on from late November to December 2, is organised by HCM City’s Centre for Investment and Trade Promotion Centre.

The EU is considered a large market with great potential for Việt Nam’s fruits and vegetables, along with other large markets such as the United States, Australia and Japan. 

However, experts said, the country could face technical barriers if it failed to meet the EU’s food safety and hygiene standards.

Vietnamese exporters should improve hygiene standards of their products to avoid technical barriers imposed by the EU market, they said.

Fruit and vegetable exports led to a turnover of US$2.64 billion for the country over the past nine months, a year-on-year surge of 44.2 per cent, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). China, the United States, Japan and South Korea were the largest import markets of Việt Nam, which together occupy 85.4 per cent of the total vegetable and fruit export value. 

Strong export growth was recorded in Japan (64.6 per cent), the United Arab Emirates (64.4 per cent) and China (60.2 per cent).

Vegetable and fruit export revenue is expected to hit a new record of $3.6 billion in 2017, with bumper crops forecast for the rest of the year.