Vietnamese fruits strive for large, high-quality and safe production

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Dr. Nguyen Huu Dat, the Secretary General of the Vietnam Vegetables and Fruits Association.

However, if we want to move towards sustainable development, Vietnamese fruits still have many problems to solve in relation to raising the quality of products competing with imported fruits in the domestic market and in the world market. The Customs Newspaper has exchanged with Dr. Nguyen Huu Dat, the Secretary General of the Vietnam Vegetables and Fruits Association.

What do you think about the situation of Vietnam's fruit exports from the beginning of the year to date?

In the first 7 months of 2017, fruit exports of Vietnam had many advantages, the main markets had a high growth, turnover reached more than US$ 2 billion, an increase of 49% compared to the same period in 2017. Currently, Dragon fruit is the leading fruit export, accounting for more than 50% of the total export turnover of Vietnamese fruits, followed by longan with 12.8%, and durian with 6.3%.

Two items including dragon fruit and longan have a high turnover due to the good planting process, cultivation in large quantity, spreading with products all year. In addition, these two fruits have a good harvesting, packaging and transportation process.

In general, the fruits exported from Vietnam have a certain improvement in quality and food hygiene and safety and have not encountered any complaints from export markets, including the fastidious market such as the United States, Japan, South Korea and Chile. The Vietnamese fruits exported to these markets have met the standards of clean pest, safety, uniformity, and quality.

Currently, imported fruits of the same kind with Vietnamese fruits are occupying a considerable part in the domestic market. Are you concerned about the possibility of Vietnamese fruit losing in the domestic market?

In the first 7 months of 2017, fruit import turnover reached US$ 850 million, an increase of 103% over the same period of 2016. However, according to surveys at supermarkets and wholesale markets, imported fruits still account for one fourth of the total fruits. Because in fact, it depends on the type of product and financial ability for consumers to choose which type. Specifically, in Lotte supermarket, apples, grapes, and kiwi are imported but they have very small proportions. Fruit products in the country such as cherries, dragon fruit, avocado, mango, durian, mangosteen, etc are still preferred by consumers as they are affordable to most consumers. With imported fruits, just segment of high-income, they do not have to calculate much in spending. When the fruit products enter Lotte's supermarket system, they have undergone food safety inspections and quality inspections, so the problems are just price and freshness. For imported fruits at high prices, 40% only concentrated in large cities, and high-end consumer segments.

I suppose, in fact, although fruit imports to Vietnam are increasing gradually compared to previous years they can not overcome domestic consumption tastes which are the catalyst to promote domestic fruits. The import of fruits from growing countries is not a big constraint for domestic fruit, which is a driving force for producers, businesses to improve production processes, complying with safety criteria to make good quality products that can compete with foreign products in the domestic market.

In order to develop sustainably, what solutions do we need for Vietnamese fruit?

The results of fruit production, consumption and export of Vietnam in the past time will create a premise for Vietnamese fruit to develop in accordance with regional and world standards, so as to step by step integrate into large-scale production with high quality, safety, and uniformity.

To do so, there should be a link to improve the quality and improve food safety and hygiene for Vietnamese fruits. It is the link between businesses, manufacturers including both domestic consumption and export. The next link is between the business and State management agencies for quality control, especially how to trace the origin of fruits in the market. And it is important for Vietnam to strengthen and establish a system of food safety and hygiene control from central to the local level with real capacity, operate honestly and efficiently!

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