Vietnamese fruits have room to penetrate deeper into the Chinese market

Chinese people and partners visit and enjoy fruits at the Festival. Photo: CT

The event is co-organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in cooperation with the Embassy of Vietnam in China, the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association and Chinese partners.

The Vietnam Fruit Festival with the theme "Vietnamese Fruits - Four Seasons of Deliciousness" is an important trade promotion event, on the sidelines of the 13th Session of the Vietnam - China Economic and Trade Cooperation Committee.

According to Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien, Vietnam is located in the tropical monsoon climate zone - considered a paradise for tropical plants; with the diversity and sophistication of many types of fruits spread across the country.

With an output of 12-14 million tons/year, Vietnam's fruit products not only meet domestic consumption needs but also serve exports with a turnover of nearly US $3.5 billion per year. In addition to fresh fruit products, Vietnam exports many quality processed fruit products.

Regarding the supply of fruits and fruit products, Vietnam is China's third largest partner in the world (after Thailand and Chile) with many products having a solid position and being favored by Chinese consumers.

However, the results achieved in the past time have not been commensurate with the potential, needs and strengths of each side. Currently, Vietnamese fruits are still mainly exported to China through border trade to meet the market demand of some localities in the South, Southeast of China and provinces adjacent to Vietnam.

For other localities, the appearance of Vietnamese fruit products is quite modest; while the demand for fruit consumption of the Chinese market is very large and the ability to supply high-quality, specialty fruits of Vietnam is very abundant. Along with that is the advantage of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements of which the two countries are members, the same geographical location, convenient for transportation.

Therefore, there is a lot of room for fruit businesses of the two countries to exploit and develop.

Although it was only held for the first time, the festival has attracted and gathered many large exporting enterprises of fresh fruits and processed fruit products from Vietnam to display, introduce products and serve Chinese consumers.

Within the framework of this festival, there will be direct trading activities between Vietnamese businesses and Chinese fruit importers and distributors; Product experience program and discussion on the export potential of Vietnamese fruits.

This is a good opportunity for Vietnamese producers and suppliers to introduce and promote their brands and images of typical fruit products, as well as meet and seek customers, strengthen trade activities, and build sustainable cooperative relationships with potential partners in fruit import in China.

At the same time, it is a favorable opportunity for a large number of Chinese consumers to directly experience the quality and unique, distinctive flavors of Vietnamese fruits, especially for consumers in Beijing and northern China - where they do not have regular access to high-quality Vietnamese fruits, thereby helping to promote the national brand for agricultural products in general and Vietnamese fruits in particular to the Chinese market.

“This event will also be a premise and experience for organizing specialized festivals more regularly, not only in Beijing, but also in other localities of China to connect and expand the export of Vietnamese fruits to this large market,” Minister Nguyen Hong Dien emphasized and proposed that Chinese authorities continue to coordinate, create favorable conditions for quarantine, customs clearance of goods and resolve issues related to bilateral economic and trade policies between the two countries, facilitating cooperation and trade activities between the business communities of the two countries.

In particular, China continues to open its market, expanding the list of fruits and agricultural products of Vietnam that are officially exported to this market to contribute to spreading more strongly the unique and delicious flavors of Vietnamese fruits to Chinese friends and consumers.

According to Deputy Director of the Asian Department (Ministry of Commerce of China) Ly Ngan, China is the largest export market for fruits and vegetables of Vietnam. In 2023, Vietnam's agricultural exports to China accounted for 21% of Vietnam's total agricultural exports to the world.

With the joint efforts of both sides, high-quality Vietnamese fruits such as durian, dragon fruit, banana, and mango have been present in the Chinese market, while food products produced in Vietnam such as coffee and pho are also favored by many Chinese consumers.

Along with the comprehensive implementation of the RCEP Agreement as well as the continuous upgrading of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, cooperation between the two countries in technology, standards, and agricultural production has increasingly developed in a more extensive direction.

"This is the first time Vietnam has organized a fruit promotion event in Beijing. "Hopefully, Vietnamese enterprises will take advantage of this opportunity and actively explore the Chinese market," said the Deputy Director of the Asian Department of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, expressing his hope that Beijing residents will seize this rare opportunity to enjoy delicious Vietnamese fruits and introduce the unique flavor of this fruit to friends and relatives.