Five years of talks bear fruit: Vietnamese pomelo gets US nod

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has officially licensed the import of Vietnamese pomelos as the seventh Vietnamese fruit to enter the U.S. market.

The export of this Vietnamese citrus fruit into the demanding market was confirmed October 17 in Hanoi after more than five years of negotiations.

The news was announced by Hoang Trung, director of the plant protection department under Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development at a meeting between USDA and the ministry.

The six Vietnamese fruits already licensed for export to the US are mango, longan, lychee, dragon fruit, rambutan and star apple.

Trung underscored that the export of Vietnamese pomelo would be overseen by his department, which will work closely with necessary parties to meet all U.S. requirements.

He said pomelo shipments to the U.S. would be subject to the supervision of both the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and his department.

Pomelo is a popular, refreshing fruit with many nutritional benefits, including high vitamin C content and antioxidants.

Vietnam is currently home to 105,400 hectares of pomelo that produces nearly 905,000 tons of fruit a year, according to the agriculture ministry.

The U.S. market’s annual demand for fruit is estimated at 12 million tons, of which 70% is met by domestic supply.

Vietnamese fruits are also exported to many other countries including Canada, Europe, Japan, Korean, Australia, and China.