Fruits & vegetables export market has developed rapidly over the past time. The whole country currently has over 1.4 million hectares of planting fruits & vegetables and harvested over 6.5 million ton of fruits, 6.9 million ton of vegetables. Integration is creating favorable condition to expanding market and developing production. Presently, Vietnam fruits & vegetables are present at over 50 nations and territories. Nevertheless, value export and import of Vietnam’s fruit and vegetables has unstable, up and down and slow growth. This value in 5 years (2001 - 2005) has only reached 1.096 USD million, accounting for 0.9 % of the total value export and import export and growth of 1.9% per annum, meanwhile, the total value in that period increased up 17.5% per year. In 2006, fruits & vegetables export not achieved the goal, turn-over only reached 263 USD million, representing 0.6% of total value export and import.

Figure 1: Value export of Vietnam’s fruit and vegetables, 1991-2006 (USD million)

Source: MARD

Market Potentiality

Normally, export of kinds of processed agricultural products is more beneficial to the country as compared to unprocessed agricultural products because they increase the value-added of products and export profit. Fresh fruits & vegetables export also brings high profit. For instance, export of fruits & vegetables into Taiwanese market- a potential market and relatively diverse taste and it does not require much the quality and is being assessed as the favorable market and its main products such as cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes, mushroom, bananas, blue dragon, mango, litchi. According to the statistic figures of General Customs Office in 2005, the value export of fruits & vegetables into this market reached approximately 30 USD million increasing nearly 9 USD million as compared to 2004, and always keeps the top point in 2006 and two early months of 2007. Presently, Taiwan is the intermediary market of Vietnam products exported into the market of Europe, The U.S, and Asian East.

Traditional export market such as China, owing to that the summer will come in few months, export demand of tropical fruits of Vietnam increase sharply. According to the forecast of The U.S Department of Agriculture, in the market of Europe, The U.S, Japan, Hong Kong, due to the impact of factors such as the change in population structure, consumption taste, the people income....., the consumption of kinds of vegetables will increase sharply in the 2000 - 2010 phase. According to the USDA, the demand of kinds of green vegetables will increase around 22 - 23%. Fresh vegetable price of its kinds will continue to the speed of increased consumption demand. It is forecasted that vegetables export demand will be increased around 1.8% per annum. Fruits demand also increases rapidly in this period, it is forecasted that the growth rate will stand at 8%.

Figure 2: Export markets of Vietnam’s fruit and vegetables

Source: http://www.rauquavietnam.vn

In addition to the prospects, Vietnam s WTO joined in WTO- an export market of world agricultural products is organized severely, taken control over by a system of multi-national supermarkets, so, Vietnam fruits & vegetables export faces many new challenges. Which solutions are taken into consideration to promote fruits & vegetables export?

Certificate of origin

One of the foremost and important solutions is that the seed has had the certificate of origin and use plant protection insecticide and comply with good agricultural practices (GAP). With clean input materials, we must organize to preserve, process on the top demand of foodstuff sanitation and safety. Rational price in order to increased competitiveness. All of this aspect will created the value chain from produce to export.

The State support

Perfecting tax policy system, credit, land transformation, agricultural extension. Supportive policies in investing infrastructure must bring into play resources from economic components.

Research and development

Strengthening market research and approaching supermarkets of foreign market, including linking to overseas Vietnamese as the bridge. Negotiating and signing bilateral agreements on plants and animals control, mutual organization of inspection establishments, quality certificate granting for Vietnam export fruits & vegetables; Organizing fairs & exhibitions on fruits & vegetables. Welcome fruits & vegetables exporters to oversee processing establishments, research input materials sources, implementation process, output products, prestige creation ending up signing the contracts and Memorandum of Understanding.