Sanitary Issues for Exporting Vietnamese Fruits and Vegetables to EU Markets

The European Trade Policy and Investment Support Project (EU-MUTRAP) coordinated with the Business Promotion Support Centre to organise a workshop on “Sanitary issues for exporting Vietnamese fruits and vegetables to EU markets” in Hanoi on July 31 in an effort to boost fruit and vegetable export to the EU market.

 

The workshop is an opportunity for associations, businesses, cooperatives, producers, processors and exporters of fruits and vegetables to capture more useful information and raise awareness of food hygiene and safety of fruits and vegetables exported to the EU. The strict and precise implementation of food hygiene and safety regulations is an important factor to creating sustainability of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables on the world market.

 

According to attending experts, to boost fruit and vegetable exports, Vietnam needs to expand good agricultural practice (GAP) and take active solutions to meet consumer demand. At the same time, it needs to satisfy requirements in importing countries.

 

Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports maintained remarkable growth from 2005 to 2011, averaging US$300 million a year. In 2011, its export turnover set a record of US$630 million, up 35.5 per cent over 2010, making Vietnam a Top 5 exporter of fruits and vegetables in the world. However, Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports to the EU are showing signs of decline. In 2012, the export growth slowed down on concerns over quality barriers in importing countries, grossing approximately US$829 million, up 33.4 per cent against 2011. Remarkably, Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable export to the EU has confronted hardships because some shipments have been reportedly found violating quality regulations.