It’s official! New Zealand (NZ) is now importing dragon fruit from Vietnam.
New Zealand ambassador to Vietnam, Haike Manning, tweeted a photo on Wednesday of the official signing ceremony between the two countries, stating, '#Kiwi consumers able to enjoy #delicious Vietnamese dragonfruit in NZ soon, after today's signing ceremony in #Hanoi!'
NZ authorities opened the door to dragon fruit imports from Vietnam this month, providing the fruit undergoes hot steam treatment to meet NZ’s food safety requirements.
The news follows the NZ foreign affairs minister, Murray McCullys, trip to Vietnam in March to expand trade and diplomatic cooperation between the nations.
Vietnam exports dragon fruit to the US, Japan and Korea, with Vietnam’s total fruit exports topping US$1bn in 2013.
