Fruit and veggie exports taking root in new markets Vietnamese companies are selling record amounts of fruit and vegetables with shipments to overseas markets having soared by almost 36% in 2014 to an all-time high of US$1.4 billion, according to official statistics. In addition, the General Department of Vietnam Customs reports that they are now transported to 40 countries including many with strong agriculture industries such as China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK), and the US. Vietnamese fruits and vegetables have become a stable at the dinner table in China, the nation’s number one customer— accounting for roughly 33.44% of market share in the first six months of 2015. Eggplant, okra, peppers and corn for use in making fresh and frozen concentrated juices have been among the biggest international sellers to Japan with a 4.79% market share, the second largest overseas market. “It’s testament to the can-do attitude of our Vietnamese farmers that they’re selling fruits and vegetables to the likes of Japan, a country famed for its high demands for overall quality,” said Huynh Quang Dau, vice chairman of the Vietnam Fruit Association (Vinafruit). In the first half of 2015, the RoK and US were the third and fourth largest markets for Vietnamese fruit and vegetables making up 4.62% and 3.71% of total market share respectively. The demand for Vietnamese fruit and vegetables in the six- month period leading up to July 2015 has soared by almost 28.41% compared to last year's same period, tallying in at roughly US$878,964 million.   “This dramatic rise in demand for Vietnam’s fruits and vegetables is fantastic news for our growing economy, with 40 countries worldwide now enjoying our agricultural products there’s immense potential to drive sales even further,” Dau said. Dau added that the obtaining of permits to sell red and white flesh dragon fruits, lychee and longan in the US market has truly been a success story for Vietnamese agriculture, as the North American market is lucrative with tremendous potential. The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) in turn has reported that it has submitted a list of 11 different varieties of fruits to the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) hoping to get sales permits. “If approved it would be an enormous boon for the nation’s fruit growers and bring in growth to sales,” an MoIT spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that export sales worldwide are becoming increasingly important to Vietnamese agriculture, driven by our signature high-quality dragon fruit, watermelons, longans and bananas. Nguyen Xuan Hong, head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)'s Plant Protection Department, said if Vietnam farmers continue to apply Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) fruit and vegetable sales will continue taking root and flourish globally.  VOV