Vietnamese bananas lead market share in China, approaching the "billion dollar club"

(Chinhphu.vn) - To export bananas sustainably and avoid "good harvest, low price", it is necessary to plan reasonable growing areas, not increase acreage massively, promote trade to expand markets and attract investment in processing to increase value and reduce consumption risks.

Since the beginning of the year, Vietnamese bananas have accounted for nearly 50% of China's import market share thanks to improvements in quality, design and logistics advantages - Photo: VGP/Do Huong

According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (VINAFRUIT), in the first 6 months of 2025, bananas ranked 3rd in the group of exported fruits of Vietnam, only after durian and dragon fruit, with a turnover of 233 million USD, an increase of nearly 55% over the same period last year.

Vietnamese bananas have accounted for nearly 50% of China's import market share.

Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of VINAFRUIT analyzed, there are 3 main reasons why Vietnamese bananas are more competitive in many Asian markets, including the Japanese market. First, the quality and price are competitive compared to bananas in the region, including bananas from the Philippines. Second, we have an advantage in logistics in transportation. Third, Vietnamese banana varieties are resistant to Panama wilt disease, a dangerous disease that is threatening many banana growing areas in the world .

According to Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, not only the Japanese market, Vietnam's banana exports to the Chinese market have also grown very well. Vietnamese bananas have surpassed Philippine bananas to take the largest market share in China's banana imports.

"Since the beginning of the year, Vietnamese bananas have accounted for nearly 50% of China's import market share thanks to improvements in quality, design and logistics advantages. Meanwhile, Philippine banana production has decreased due to storms, diseases and transportation difficulties," said Dang Phuc Nguyen, adding that in 2024, bananas will bring Vietnam 378 million USD from exports and it is expected that this item will soon join the billion-dollar fruit export club.

In the Chinese market, bananas are one of the favorite fruits, a popular dessert for Chinese consumers. They are also an ingredient for making many other dishes such as cakes, jams; etc. In the Japanese market, the advantage of Vietnamese bananas is also reinforced by the import tax from Vietnam to this market, which is currently at 5.4% and will gradually decrease to 0% by 2028 under the CPTPP Agreement, promising to expand opportunities for Vietnamese agricultural products in this demanding market.

Although the world market for Vietnamese bananas is very large. However, according to Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, the most important issue is still quality. For example, in the Japanese market, bananas exported to this market must meet very high standards for product quality and food hygiene and safety, along with stable output. As for China, this market also has domestic bananas. Therefore, to compete, we should avoid the domestic harvest season with the harvest time falling from July to October in China.

Sharing the same opinion on this issue, Mr. Vo Quan Huy, Director of Huy Long An Company Limited, said that growing bananas for export, the important factor is the production process, businesses must control the level of pesticide residue, this is not only for markets such as Japan, Korea but also China. As long as the residue is at a threshold close to the maximum allowable residue level, customers will respond. This is a story that must be paid close attention to.

In an increasingly competitive and quality-demanding fruit market, developing with high technology and maintaining a single quality standard, throughout from variety to market, will be the way for businesses in particular and the banana industry in general to maintain and expand the market.

Banana industry aims for $4 billion in exports

From a business perspective, Mr. Pham Quoc Liem, Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Director of Unifarm, said that while many domestic banana producers can be flexible between standards such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP or individual standards of each import market, Unifarm chooses an opposite approach that unifies processes and quality, from breeding, cultivation, post-harvest processing to traceability.

In 2024, bananas will bring Vietnam 378 million USD from exports, equivalent to about 2,400 USD/ha. Mr. Pham Quoc Liem hopes that the Vietnamese banana industry can reach an export value of 4 billion USD in the near future, nearly 10 times higher than the current level. This is not an easy goal, but it is completely feasible if the whole industry aims for large-scale production, applying high technology and maintaining consistent quality.

"In the current context, people's health and the environment also need attention. If this can be achieved, Vietnamese bananas will have more competitive advantages, especially in demanding markets such as the EU and Japan," said Mr. Liem.

Currently, most of Vietnam’s bananas are exported in fresh form, mainly to China, South Korea, Japan and some Middle Eastern countries. Meanwhile, products such as dried bananas, pressed bananas, banana wine, banana cakes or green banana powder, which have higher value, are still only on a small, fragmented scale.

In addition, the economic potential from banana by-products is also very large. Therefore, in addition to the fresh fruit export segment, Mr. Vo Quan Huy said that we need to pay more attention to the processed banana segment and exploit the value from banana by-products. This is an important direction to increase the added value of this industry.

Do Huong

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/chuoi-viet-nam-dan-dau-thi-phan-tai-trung-quoc-tien-gan-cau-lac-bo-ty-usd-102250814104254559.htm