Vietnam imported US$1.43bn worth of fresh fruits and vegetables over the first 10 months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 13.1 per cent, according to Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) statistics quoted on Vietnamnet.
Thailand was the largest produce source, accounting for 43.3 per cent of the total import value, followed by China with 23.1 per cent, and the remainder mostly from Australia, South Korea and the US, the website said.
Hoang Trung, head of the MARD’s Plant Protection Department, told the publication that the imports were not just for domestic consumption but also for re-export. Most of the re-export items are mangosteen, durian, mango and longan imported from Thailand then exported to China in large quantities, he said.
“With import tax of zero per cent in the ASEAN, the temporary import of Thailand fruits and then re-export to China is rapidly increasing,” said Trung.
In term of exports, Vietnam is estimated to earn US$3.3bn from fresh produce exports in January-October, up 15.5 per cent compared with the same period last year, Trung said. China is the largest export market for Vietnam.
