Vietnam boosts unseasonable fruits to avoid direct competition
The exports were the Australian mango variety grown in Vietnam. Vietnamese sweet Chu and Hoa Loc mango, though being considered more delicious, have higher prices and do not fit the New Zealand consumers’ taste. Therefore, Rong Do believes that it would be more profitable to grow Australian mango for export.
In principle, Vietnamese have been trying to export unseasonable fruits, because they don’t want to compete directly with other big fruit exporters. In case of mango, the mango harvesting times in Australia and Vietnam are different, which allows Vietnamese exporters to sell Australian mango in New Zealand market.
As for rambutan, the US Department of Agriculture has allowed Vietnam to export its rambutan to the market since 2011, when it began granting codes to certify the growing areas that meet the standards.
However, Vietnamese exporters understand that Vietnam’s rambutan would be uncompetitive with the rambutan the US imports from Thailand, Indonesia, or Mexico and Guatemala which can export fresh products at low prices thanks to the closer geographical distance.
The only way to bring rambutan to the US market is to export unseasonable fruits. The rambutan exports have been stabilized so far, about 300 tons per annum.
Source: english.vietnamnet.vn
