Vietnam fruit, veggie exports jump 89% year-on-year in Jan

Vietnam earned $458.741 million from fruit and vegetable exports in January, an increase of 12.3% compared to the previous month and 89.2% year-on-year, according to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (VinaFruit).

Meanwhile, the country spent $214.62 million buying fruit and vegetables in January, up 22.9% over the previous month and 43.6% year-on-year.

In 2023, Vietnam earned $5.6 billion from exporting fruits and vegetables, with China spending $3.63 billion, representing 65% of the total. China spent more than $2 billion to purchase approximately 524,000 tons of durian from Vietnam, an increase of more than 11 times over the previous year.

In July 2022, Vietnam signed an important protocol on exporting durian to China. In the fourth quarter of 2022, fruit export turnover increased strongly, with that of durian alone reaching $420 million.

According to VinaFruit general secretary Dang Phuc Nguyen, given Vietnam and China's proximity, the shipping time is shorter than to other countries, which is a great advantage.

Infrastructure improvement including a highway running from the North to the South taking shape in 2025 will create favorable conditions for more fruit and vegetables to be exported to China.

Mekong Delta provinces produce about 60% of Vietnam's fruit. With a good transportation network from there to the border with China, fruit exports to that populous market are set to rise, Nguyen added.