According to a VNA correspondent in Sydney, Australia has made another step forward for its horticulture industry when Canberra announced that it has reached an agreement to export plums to Vietnam in the coming time, in addition to current peach and nectarine exports.

Passion fruit is a high-value agricultural product grown in Moc Chau district, Son La province. Photo: Nguyen Cuong/VNA

This project is part of a two-way agricultural market access agreement to supply Australian plums to Vietnam and Vietnamese passion fruit to Australia.

Australia’s agricultural, fisheries and forestry exports to Vietnam are set to reach AUD 3.7 billion (approximately USD 2.5 billion) in 2023-24, with stone fruit trade set to increase, further strengthening Australia’s trade relationship with Vietnam – the Oceania nation’s sixth-largest export market. The agreement supports the agriculture sector’s goal of becoming a AUD 100 billion (approximately USD 67 billion) industry and the Australian horticulture sector’s goal of becoming a AUD 20 billion (approximately USD 13.4 billion) industry by 2030. Vietnam and Australia are currently in advanced negotiations on the export of Australian blueberries to Vietnam and Vietnamese grapefruit to Australia. Australia affirmed that Vietnam is an important diversification market for Australian exporters and is a focus of the program “Invest: Australia's Southeast Asia Strategy to 2040”.

Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins said the new market access was a significant milestone for the stone fruit sector and for the Australia-Vietnam trade relationship. The promotion of reciprocal market access outcomes reflects the strong bilateral relationship between Australia and Vietnam and is a driving force to support Australia's agricultural sector to take advantage of export opportunities. The Albanese Government is focused on opening up Australia's agricultural sector and this is a positive step towards achieving this goal, while also providing another key market to diversify trade. Meanwhile, Australian Trade and Tourism Minister Don Farrell affirmed that promoting Australia's trade with Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, is a top priority for the Australian Government. Boosting trade with Vietnam means more jobs and better wages for workers in Australia's horticulture sector.

Source: Tin Tuc Newspaper