Viet Nam pocketed US$119 million from shipping fruit and vegetable abroad in the first two months of 2013, up 16% against the same period last year.
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This year,fruit and vegetable exportis expected to fetchUS$1 billion, making it possible to join the US$1 billion club if the steady growth is maintained in the remaining months.
The country’s 13 primary markets with import turnover of exceeding US$10 million included China (US$218.1 million), Japan (US$54.6 million), the US (US$ 39.9 million), Russia (US$28.4 million), the Republic of Korea (US$22.6 million), and Thailand (US$20.4 million).
Large volumes of specialty fruits are being shipped abroad, such as longan, mango, orange, grapefruit, lychee, banana, and dragon fruit.
However, the countrystill spends significant amounts on fruit and vegetable imports which hitUS$294 million in 2010, US$293.5 million in 2011, US$335 million in 2012, and US$51 million in the first two months of 2013— up 11.2% on the previous year.
Viet Nam willfocus on improving quality, controlling illegal imports, and ensuring food hygiene and safety./.