Vietnam’s agricultural exports to China, including fruits, rice, cashews and coffee, reached a record $6.2 billion in the first nine months of this year.
Durian exports alone were worth $1.5 billion, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Other major exports included $500 million worth of rice, $434 million worth of cashew nuts and $101 million worth of coffee.
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Durians in an orchard in the town of Can Tho in the Mekong Delta. Photo by VnExpress/Manh Khuong |
If we include forestry and aquatic products, exports reached $8.71 billion, an increase of 16.7%.
Overall, the country’s exports reached $38.48 billion, down 5.1 percent, with China, the United States and Japan being the three largest markets.
Dang Phuc Nguyen, secretary-general of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said record agricultural exports to China were due to the two countries recently signing export protocols under which certain fruits like durian and vegetables could be exported via official quotas rather than only border trade as had been done until now.
Nguyen Dinh Tung, CEO of Vina T&TT Export Import Service Trading Company, said Vietnamese durian exports to China could reach $2 billion this year.
The ministry predicted that exports of agricultural products, especially fruits, would set new records in the fourth quarter, when people consume more during the holidays.
In the near future, Vietnam will export fresh coconut to China under official quotas.
But Tung said some Vietnamese products such as dragon fruit, grapefruit and longan are expected to compete fiercely with similar fruits grown in China and imported from various other countries.
