That was reported by Dr. Nguyen Huu Dat, secretary general of Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association yesterday, at a meeting co-organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and European trade policy and investment support project (EU-Mutrap) discussing solutions to maintain and expand the export market of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables.
According to Mr. Dat, Asia has been the largest export market accounting for 85.9 percent, Europe accounts for 3.8 percent and other markets 6.3 percent. Of the total export volume, 46.9 percent are processed products and the remaining are fresh vegetables and fruits.
Export turnover to the EU, Japan, the US and South Korea has showed signs of increase, especially in the EU market. In 2013, Vietnamese fruits and vegetables were limited from exporting to this market because of food safety and hygiene violations. However the situation has warmed up since early this year.
Besides positive signs, Vietnamese businesses are among the group in danger of facing technical barriers related to food hygiene and safety standards, especially those exporting fresh fruits and herbs.
Therefore, they should meet vegetable growing standards in shade net houses, have traceability and international certifications in plant quarantine. The EU has advised them to abide by VietGap farming process to minimize the risks that their products might be infected with pests and diseases.
