Vietnam spends USD1.57 billion on fruit, vegetables in 11 months

VNA/VOV

Vietnam spent USD1.57 billion on importing fruit and vegetables in the first 11 months of this year, up 11.5% from the same period in 2017, according to statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Thailand is the top exporter of fruit and vegetable to Vietnam, accounting for 41% of Vietnam’s total import of the products. China followed with 24% of market share.

According to the head of the MARD’s Plant Protection Department Hoang Trung, a large volume of fruits imported from Thailand are re-exported to China, mostly durian, mangosteen and longan.

Shipments from several markets showed strong surges, such as Chile with a 98% increase, the US (90%) and the Republic of Korea (83%).

Meanwhile, the export of fruit and vegetables in the 11-month period also went up 11.6% on a yearly basis to USD3.5 billion, with 73.8% of export volume going to China.

At present, 80% of Vietnam’s fruit outputs are consumed in the domestic market, mainly in the form of fresh fruits. Few enterprises have invested in fruit processing, due to the lack of concentrated growing areas that can ensure the stable supply of big amounts of raw materials.