Vietnam seeks to increase fruit exports to the Middle East
Addressing the event, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Nguyen Xuan Cuong, said that the Middle East is a huge market and a gateway to the European market.
Vietnam has high hopes of exporting many agricultural products, including fruit, rice, cashew, aquaculture products and others to the 400-million market of the Middle East.
However, Cuong pointed out that trade revenues between the two countries remain low due to difficulties in payment, as the two sides mostly pay via intermediary banks in Dubai, China and Singapore or some European countries with high costs.
Vo Quang Huy, Director of Huy Long An company, said that the Middle East is a promising market for Vietnamese bananas. He asked for more effective measures to support exporters in payment as well as building standards for goods exported to the market.
Statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Trade show that trade between Vietnam and Middle East countries reached 10.887 billion USD, a rise of over 100 percent from 2011. Vietnam exported 8,059 billion USD worth of goods to, and imported 2.82 billion USD worth of goods from, this market.
Source: en.vietnamplus.vn
