Fruit, veg exports reach US$2.53 billion in eight months

Fruit and vegetable exports in the first eight months of this year reached US$2.53 billion, down 5.8% year-on-year, according to the Agro Processing and Market Development Department (Agrotrade) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Workers process pineapples for export at the factory of the An Giang Fruit-Vegetables and Foodstuff JSC in the southern province of An Giang (Photo: VNA)
Workers process pineapples for export at the factory of the An Giang Fruit-Vegetables and Foodstuff JSC in the southern province of An Giang (Photo: VNA)

The figure includes US$246 million from August.

Between January and July, China remained the biggest importer, accounting for 70.5% of Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports, equivalent to US$1.65 billion – down 5.6% year-on-year.

It was followed by the US, whose imports rose 12.5% to US$ 84.07 million, making up 3.6% of the total. The Republic of Korea ranked third with US$76.91 million worth of commodities from Vietnam, rising 13.1% and accounting for 3.3% of the total.

The markets posting surges in the import of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables included Laos 2.84 times, Hong Kong (China) 2.37 times, Taiwan (China) up 44%, and the Netherlands up 37.9%.

Also, in August, Vietnam purchased US$134 million worth of fruit and vegetables from other countries, raising the eight-month imports to US$1.28 billion, up 11.5% from a year earlier.

Agrotrade forecast that numerous difficulties will continue to face exports for the remaining months of this year due to uncertainties in the world’s economy, the escalating US-China trade tension that will cause reluctance over trade and investment activities, and the enhanced application of strict food safety and environmental protection standards in many markets.