Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association VinaFruit has issued a statement saying that the nation’s fruit and vegetable exports exceeded US$2.06 billion in the first half of this year, up 17.4 percent year-on-year. In June alone, the figure stood at US$356 million, representing a year-on-year rise of 38 percent, according to the association.
In the same period, the country imported US$686 million worth of fruit and vegetables; a drop of 16.6 percent from the same period last year, resulting in a trade surplus of US$1.3 billion.
China, the US, Japan and the Republic of Korea remained Vietnam’s biggest fruit and vegetable buyers, with the highest increase recorded in the US market (132 percent). Since early June, Vietnamese and Chinese competent agencies have reached an agreement on plant quarantine to simplify customs procedures for fresh fruit exports.
As reported on en.vietnamplus.vn, dragon fruit, watermelon and lychee have enjoyed impressive increases in export volumes in the two quarters, up 138 percent, 132 percent and 44 percent, respectively.
