New Zealand’s import of rambutan to boost Vietnam’s exports
Hoàng Trung, Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Plant Protection Department (PPD), talks to Vietnam News about the challenges in receiving the green light from New Zealand and the advantages the opportunity presents to the country.
On the question why it took Vietnam seven years of negotiations to get permission to export rambutan to New Zealand, Hoàng Trung spoke about that nation's unique ecosystem: "Therefore, the country has strict regulations on plant quarantine to protect domestic agriculture from the risk of external pest infestation, especially through the exchange of goods in international trade.”
“However, as Vietnam is a tropical country, there is still a risk that the products we export to New Zealand may carry pests. Therefore, before getting the export licence for agricultural products, we needed to ensure that we met all import requirements of New Zealand.”
About the expected Vietnamese export turnover from vegetables and fruits in 2018, he said: “According to the target set for 2018, MARD will endeavour to bring the export turnover of agricultural products to $40 billion, of which the fruit and vegetable sector is estimated at nearly $4 billion. With exports showing a positive trend in the first months of this year, as well as close co-operation between relevant authorities and enterprises, we will strive to achieve the set goals.”
In the current situation, where countries tend to use technical barriers to replace the former tariff barriers, there will be many difficulties for exports and the opening of new markets. Therefore, it is important to maintain production conditions, product quality and enhance credibility in other markets, thereby creating incentives for producers to move towards added value for agricultural products from Vietnam.
As a unit in charge of removing technical barriers in the opening of markets, PPD will prioritise negotiations to open potential markets with large consumption near Vietnam, where Vietnamese fruit products are highly competitive.
