According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), Vietnamese vegetable and fruit products have made forays into some tough markets that include Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States (US).

However, China remained the largest exporter of Vietnamese vegetable and fruit products, accounting for 71% of the total vegetables and fruits, because this market does not need very high quality products as the other markets.

In the first two months of this year, China imported US$236 million worth of vegetables and fruit from Vietnam.

The ministry said Vietnam has still had numerous challenges in finding more export markets to reduce the dependence on China’s markets, reported Tuoitre newspaper.

According to the Vietnam Gardening Association, Australia has permitted Vietnam to export litchi while New Zealand has considered importing some kinds of Vietnamese rambutan.

The domestic farming industry has implemented the necessary procedures and solved difficulties to export some kinds of fruits such as star apple, longan, litchi, rambutan and dragon fruit to Asian markets, including South Korea and Taiwan, the association said.

In 2015, Vietnam had the first exports of fruit to the US, including 3 million tonnes of litchi and 100 tonnes of longan, Tin tuc newspaper reported quoting the association.

Vietnam expected to make US$2 billion in vegetable and fruit exports this year because the nation can enter further three more tough markets, including Japan, the European Union and the US.

The ministry said the importer countries have two technical barriers including food safety and plant quarantine so only if Vietnam’s vegetable and fruit products meet standards of food safety and plant quarantine, can they enter the global market.

Last year, Vietnam’s vegetable and fruit export value reached US$1.8 billion, 23.7% higher than 2014, becoming one of top five farming export products in Vietnam, including rice, coffee, cashew nut and rubber.

Vietnamese vegetable and fruit products have been exported to 40 countries and territories. Of these, 10 major export markets include mainland China, Japan, the US, and Russia, in addition to China, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia, and the Netherlands. The other countries are Thailand and Singapore.