Vo Nhu Trieu, CEO of the alliance, said on March 19 the fruit had been grown to Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practice (VietGAP) standards.

They were sold at VND25,000 (US$1.1) per kilogramme.

A farmer harvests dragon fruit in the south-central province of Binh Thuan 

The alliance seeks to expand dragon fruit exports to the UAE, a promising market, by improving quality, Trieu said.

Binh Thuan’s dragon fruit is exported to 20 countries and territories, including exacting markets like the US and Europe.

The south-central province, the country’s largest dragon fruit producer, has around 26,500ha under the fruit, which yield 500,000 tonnes a year.

Around 10,000ha are farmed to VietGAP standards.