Australian industry groups have welcomed Vietnam’s move to lift a temporary suspension on selected fresh produce lines.
The South East Asian nation closed its doors to Australian citrus and table grape imports in January, while it sought stronger assurances around a range of biosecurity measures.
With the suspension lifted earlier this week, Jeff Scott, chief executive of the Australian Table Grape Association, said his industry was eager to resume trade into one of its key markets.
“Prior to the suspension, table grapes represented A$32m (US$24m) out of a total A$40.9m (US$30.3m) in Australian fresh fruit exports to Vietnam—so Vietnam is a very important market for grapes. It is our second biggest export market.” Scott said. “All table grape growers will be extremely pleased with the resumption of trade and are thankful for the effort of the Department of Agriculture to enable trade to commence in time for our next export season.”
Vietnam has also developed into an important market for Australian citrus exports. While not the industry’s biggest market by volume, Vietnam’s willingness to a pay a premium for large, high-quality fruit plays an important role when it comes to structuring export programmes.
“I’m delighted to see this market open in time for the current citrus export season,” said Judith Damiani, chief executive of Citrus Australia. “I know some of our grower-exporters will be keen to resume trade with Vietnam over the next few months.”
Australian minister for agriculture, Barnaby Joyce, said Australian producers were committed to providing Vietnam with products that meet their import requirements
“Australia takes biosecurity very seriously, and I am very pleased that we have been able to satisfy Vietnam’s requirements for horticultural exports of the highest standard,” Joyce explained. “That is why I have worked closely with the Vietnamese Minister for Agriculture, Minister Phat—to ensure that our nations are working together as closely as possible to address any concerns. Australia has been able to provide detailed assurances of the strength of the systems we have in place.”
