3:26:37 PM | 7/8/2005
Experts said Vietnam has great potential for fruit and vegetable export and if comprehensive measures such as specialized areas for growing fruits and vegetables are taken, the target is very accessible.
Vegetables should be grown in northern Vietnam, Dalat city and suburb areas of big cities while fruits should be grown in the Mekong Delta region, the northern central region, and the southeastern region.
Secondly, many high-yield and high-quality varieties of fruit and vegetable should be produced so as to improve competitiveness of those products, the ministry said.
Experts also proposed to invest more in technologies for preservation of fruits and vegetables as well as improve provision of information to farmers. Competent bodies should further push up cooperation and implementation of bilateral agreements on export and import of these products, especially those related to duty rates.
However, China and Thailand have agreed on an import duty rate of 0 per cent on fruits and vegetables which causes many difficulties to Vietnam as China consumes 50 - 60 per cent of the volume of these products exported by Vietnam but its duty rate for Vietnam is between 12 - 24.5 per cent.
In addition, policies related to development of material areas and establishment of processing factories and wholesale markets with proper systems of road, stock and means of transport should also be improved.
Vietnam earned around US$50 million from fruit and vegetables exports in the first three months of this year, up 26.8 per cent on-year, of which, China was still the country’s largest consumer.
Vietnamese
