Vietnamese consumers are turning their backs on Chinese fresh produce and buying more home-grown fare, due to quality issues, food safety concerns and cost, reports Vietnam News.
Imports of Chinese fruits and vegetables into Vietnam dropped by 18.3 per cent in the first quarter of this year, compared to last. And in March alone the decline was over 26 per cent, the paper said.
Nguyen Thanh Ha, deputy head of Thu Duc wholesale market in Ho Chi Minh city, told Vietnam News that Chinese vegetables made up a 'substantial portion' of lines sold at the market back in 2005. But last month, only 60 tonnes out of 1,300 tonnes of vegetables sold were from China.
Similarly, Chinese fruits accounted for 30 per cent of imported fruits sold at the market six years ago. That share has shrunk to less than 10 per in May 2011.
Pundits attribute the fall in Chinese imports to improvements in the quality and output of Vietnamese produce, and consumer concerns over the quality and safety of increasingly expensive Chinese products.
Nguyen Viet Ha of Phu Nhuan District told the paper Vietnamese vegetables tasted better than Chinese product. And Fruit wholesaler Ba Hung said the strengthening of the Chinese currency meant Chinese imports had lost their competitive advantage.
He added that his middle-income customers preferred to buy fruit from other import countries other than China, due to concerns over tainted produce.
'My customers are opting for imports from other countries, even if they are more expensive,' Mr Hung said. 'For safety reasons, middle-income consumers prefer to buy fruits imported from the US, Australia, New Zealand, or Chile while poorer people opt for domestic products that are of similar price or even cheaper.'
News of Chinese produce's fall from grace in Vietnam comes as another food scare grips China.
China's State Food and Drug Administration announced on Saturday (11 June) that eight products, food flavours, butter substitute and baked goods, made in Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces were found to contain DEHP – an emulsifier believed to cause cancer, kidney and testicular damage and fertility problems.
The product was illegally added to food and drinks as a substitute for a traditional and more expensive emulsifier, such as palm oil.
