Vietnam's banana and passion fruit exports are gaining momentum and could reach the billion-dollar mark this year with the right investments and planning. Bananas account for 161,000 hectares of cultivation with nearly $380 million in export turnover in 2024, placing Vietnam as the world's ninth-largest banana exporter. Despite being present in demanding markets like the U.S., EU, China, Korea, and Japan, the average income per hectare remains low at about $2,400. Companies like Unifarm are pushing high-tech models, unifying standards across production stages, aiming to boost income to $20,000 per hectare and scale the industry towards $4 billion in the long term, as confirmed by VNExpress.
Passion fruit, once nearly absent from Vietnam's agricultural exports, is now emerging as a major player, contributing around $300 million annually from processed products. With negotiations ongoing to enter markets like the U.S., Korea, and Thailand, the industry's potential is clear. However, challenges remain, including fragmented growing areas, poor seed quality, and excessive pesticide use. Proposals to overcome these include improved zoning, tighter pesticide control, and better organisation of small-scale growers.
Pineapple and coconut exports also show promise but face land use, technology, and compliance bottlenecks. Mismanagement of pesticide use, labelling errors, and post-certification lapses have led to warnings and revoked export codes from China.
Source: VNExpress
