English
Vietnam: Imported fruits leading to fierce competition with local ones
The Ministry of Industry and Trade said that many fruits from foreign countries have been massively imported into Vietnam resulting in fierce competition with local ones.
According to the Ministry’s statistics, only from the beginning of 2022 until now, on average, each month, Vietnam imports about US$160 million-US$190 million of foreign fruits and vegetables (mainly fruits).
It is estimated that the import turnover of foreign fruits and vegetables in the first six months of the year reached nearly $1 billion. This fact also significantly increases the competitive pressure of foreign fruits and vegetables with domestic agricultural products.
General Director of Saigon Co.op Nguyen Anh Duc said that recently, Co.opmart and Co.opXtra supermarkets across the country, in turn, put on shelves a large number of cherries imported directly through the official channels from the USA’s California. This is a standard shipment of cherries certified by the US Department of Agriculture.
The supermarket increased the purchase of vegetables and fruits from foreign countries to meet consumers’ demand in addition to a display of Vietnamese agricultural products.
However, there is a huge price difference between domestic and imported vegetables. In particular, domestic vegetables and fruits have the upper hand. In terms of quality and food safety and hygiene standards, the group of domestic vegetables and fruits meeting domestic and global standards is increasingly rich and diverse. Currently, domestic fruit and vegetable groups are still holding the domestic market share.
Talking about the trend of fruit and vegetable consumption in the coming time, many businesses believe that the import turnover of imported fruits and vegetables will increase. Based on the free trade agreements that Vietnam has signed, export markets apply zero percent export tax on Vietnamese agricultural products, while Vietnam also applies this tax to imports of member countries.
However, the consumer advantage still belongs to the group of domestic vegetables and fruits because of their good quality and reasonable price for the majority of people in the country.
Source: SGGP