Additional Vietnamese fruits given green-light to enter US and Australia

Vietnam and the US are currently negotiating phytosanitary measures for fresh passion fruit to make inroads into the demanding market. Once the procedures are completed, Vietnamese passion fruit will be exported to the US market next year.

Meanwhile, Vietnam and Australia are also negotiating the export of Vietnamese pomelo to the Australian market in the time ahead.

Statistics show that Vietnam raked in nearly US$6.62 billion from the export of fruit and vegetables over the past 11 months, representing an increase of 27.4% year on year.

The International Trade Center reports that Vietnam was the third largest supplier of fruit and vegetables and processed products to Australia during the initial 10 months of the year, with turnover reaching US$109.68 million, up 35.4% year on year.

Currently, Australia has allowed the import of five types of fresh fruits from Vietnam, including dragon fruit, mango, longan, passion fruit, and lychee.

Experts point out that despite a positive outlook ahead for exports to Australian market, local firms are required to meet stringent technical requirements, especially those regarding labeling requirements and food hygiene and safety standards, which are even higher than those of the US and the EU.

To effectively tap into the Australian market, Vietnamese authorities have been advised to enhance quality control of cultivation areas, improve the registration and evaluation system for code issuance, negotiate market access, and boost promotion and build branding.