Many of Vietnam's agricultural products – especially rice, vegetables and cassava – have faced barriers preventing their export to China, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The ministry’s Agricultural Product Processing and Market Development Department said cassava is the latest export from Vietnam to China to face strict controls on labelling, packaging and information as well as a tightening of import procedures at border gates. Cassava exports to China are expected to be reduced in the second quarter of this year due to lower demand.
Fruit traceability
China has also promoted traceable origins and quality management and has asked fruit exporters to register codes showing where the fruits were planted. The changes have created disadvantages for Vietnamese fruit exporters, especially for those that sell fresh local fruits. For instance, exports of pineapples from Lào Cai and bananas from Lai Châu have slumped severely.
The vegetable and fruit sector promoted exports to highly demanding countries in the first four months of this year including Australia (up 39.9 percent), the Netherlands (up 29.22 percent), South Korea (up 25.53 percent) and France (up 24.81 percent).
Recently, Vietnamese mangoes have begun to be exported to the US. Mangoes are Vietnam's sixth fruit licensed for export to the US market after dragon fruit, rambutan, longan, lychee and star apple.
The export value of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables in the first five months of 2019 reached $1.83 billion, a year-on-year increase of 10.3 percent. Experts in the sector said the efforts to find alternative markets will help Vietnam's agricultural sector reduce its dependence on the Chinese market and grow despite China's new trade barriers.
Source: agroberichtenbuitenland.nl
