Addressing the event, Susan Burns, US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, revealed that the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development granted American peaches and nectarines access to the Vietnamese market in July after more than five years of negotiations.
This marks the first time that Vietnamese consumers have had the opportunity to sample fresh peaches and nectarines from the US market. This fruit is considered to be an "American summer specialty" due to both its deliciousness and juiciness.
The US diplomat emphasised that Vietnam represents the ninth agricultural market of the US, while the US side has emerged as Vietnam's second agricultural export market. The total agricultural trade turnover between the two countries last year exceeded US$5.5 billion.
In response to the press at the event, Caroline Stringer, Director of Trade of the California Fresh Fruit Association, informed them that California is currently the only state in the US that has been permitted to export peaches and nectarines to Vietnam, while Vietnam is the US’ 41st market for these fruits.
She emphasized that the US had seen bright prospects for these high-quality fruit five years ago and has since boosted trade promotion activities in the Vietnamese market. She expressed her hope that US plums will continue to make inroads into the market moving forward.
With regard to the competitiveness of US peaches and nectarines in Vietnamese market, she stressed that local consumers will feel the difference between high-quality fruit from the US and similar fruits imported from other countries.
The CFFA representative said the first batch of the high-quality fruit will be shipped to the Vietnamese market in roughly a week by air.
