The Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association said that in the first month of this year, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports unexpectedly dropped by 11.3% compared to the previous month, as many countries tightened inspections on the quality of fruit imported from Vietnam.
Association Vegetables Vietnam (Vinafruit) reported that in January, Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports reached 416 million USD, down 11.3% compared to the previous month (December 2024 reached 529 million USD) and down 5.2% compared to the same period in 2024 (January 2024 reached 490 million USD).
On the other hand, the import turnover of fruits and vegetables in January reached 285 million USD, down 6.6% compared to the previous month (December 2024 reached 304 million USD) and up 31% compared to the same period last year (January 2024 reached 216 million USD). The reason is that businesses increased imports to prepare for the Lunar New Year market.
Vinafruit said that exports at the beginning of the year faced many difficulties, especially with durian - the main product. The main reason is believed to be that China has increased quality control with Gold O and cadmium on durian, leading to a situation where this billion-dollar fruit is congested in warehouses and border gates, many shipments have to be sold at rescue prices on the domestic market. Many export enterprises said they have temporarily stopped selling durian to China in the first month of the year.
Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen - General Secretary of Vinafruit, in that situation, Vietnamese authorities quickly worked with Chinese officials to resume durian export activities.
Currently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has announced a list of 9 testing laboratories recognized by Vietnam and China as qualified to issue certification. This is the basis for Vietnamese durian to continue to penetrate this "billion-people" market.
Not only China, this year, many other markets also raised import standards. The US banned 7 active ingredients with pesticide residues and required growing area codes and packaging codes issued by the US Department of Agriculture . Europe increase pesticide testing rate on some fruits from 10% to 20%.
Mr. Nguyen commented that if inspection barriers are not removed soon, the export target of 8 billion USD this year will be difficult to achieve.
To maintain growth and achieve the export target for 2025, Mr. Nguyen said that producers and businesses need to comply with new inspection regulations and tighten purchasing links to improve product quality. In addition, processed products need to be invested in design and conform to the standards of importing countries.
It is forecasted that in February, export turnover will continue to decrease due to low consumption demand after Tet holiday, causing slower consumption of fruits and vegetables and lower prices. It is expected that the export turnover of fruits and vegetables in February will reach about 300-350 million USD.
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