Vietnamese fruit and vegetable exporters are struggling, now that many countries are increasingly imposing quality standards.
Dragon fruit, which accounts for 40 percent of Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports in value, is facing the biggest challenge: China, which used to buy 80 to 90 percent of Vietnam’s dragon fruit, has tightened imports through the border channels.
There are also higher standards on quarantine & food safety and origin tracking for Vietnamese fruits now, including dragon fruits.
Due to these difficulties, many traders have stopped buying dragon fruit. As a result, prices of the fruit have plummeted. Recently farmers in Binh Thuan Province told VnExpress that prices are down 90 percent to VND1,500-2,000 ($0.06-0.08) per kilogram.
Moreover, more trouble may await Vietnam’s dragon fruit exports. Experts are expecting China to reduce its purchases, because it has been expanding its own cultivation. Vietnam’s Plant Protection Department was quoted as saying China has planted dragon fruit on 20,000 hectares in places such as Guangxi and Hainan, and area that is expected to increase to 30,000 hectares next year.
