Vietnamese exporters and authorities have identified increasing compliance with international standards as one of the key factors in growing the value of the country’s fresh produce exports.
Vietnam has slowly been growing access in markets with high requirements such as the EU and Japan for more of its fruits
According to a report from the Phnom Penh Post, meeting these standards is essential if the country’s fresh fruit industry wants to continue to grow export opportunities, especially in a time when countries are tightening restrictions.
Nguyen Thu Thu Hong, director of the Chanh Thu Import Export, told the Phnom Penh Post Chanh Thu had been able to export small volumes of dragon fruit to Australia, an example of a market that requires GlobalGAP-certified farms and produce free from pesticide residue.
Nguyen said Vietnam’s fruit industry needs to expand the regions capable of supplying fruit that meets international standards for quality and food safety.
Additionally, Nguyen said more of the industry needs to meet plant quarantine and traceability requirements.
Le Son Ha, head of Vietnam’s Plant Quarantine Department, told the Phnom Penh Post that Vietnam had already made promising progress in stricter markets such as the US, Korea, Australia, Canada and Japan, which account for around 30 per cent fruit exports.
However, Le said Vietnam is facing increasing competition from other Asian countries such as Cambodia and China, which has expanded its dragon fruit production. This would force Vietnam’s fresh produce industry to work towards large-scale production, to meet the requirements.
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