The Fruit and Vegetable Association recommends that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have additional programs and policies to support the industry in further improving product quality and sustainable exports.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, spoke at the conference. Photo: Tung Dinh.

At the 2024 Summary Conference and 2025 Plan Implementation of the agricultural sector on the afternoon of December 27, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, proposed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development study and soon develop national standards for key products.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has developed related projects such as developing key fruit trees, developing some types of trees such as citrus trees for sustainable development. However, Mr. Binh said that most of these programs and projects focus on developing raw material areas, supporting producers such as farmers and cooperatives. Meanwhile, the export target is fruit, but there is not really a national plan.

There are some general standards for fruits and vegetables, such as moisture, scratches, bruising, cold damage, etc., but most of these standards have not been fully developed for products with high economic value and large export value, such as durian, dragon fruit, banana, etc.

Mr. Binh gave the example of durian, the harvesting, post-harvest preservation, transportation and processing requirements require a strict process. Without specific standards, farmers can unintentionally reduce the quality of the product, if the shell (epidermis) is scratched, reducing the storage time.

Statistics from the Department of Crop Production show that the Mekong Delta, the Northern Midlands and Mountains are the two largest fruit growing regions in the country. In addition, the Central Highlands is also rapidly increasing the area of ​​fruit trees.

Due to being grown in many different ecological zones, the quality of the final product can also be different. This helps diversify products and markets, but also raises issues of quality control, according to Mr. Binh.

Therefore, Mr. Binh believes that standards on the quality of fruits and vegetables will help all parties have a "basis" for joint production, harvesting and processing. This is also a premise for the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs... to confidently continue negotiating to open the market, while supporting the development of growing area codes and packaging facility codes.

Along with that, the management agency will have stricter legal institutions, helping to protect genuine producers.

Sharing more about fruits and vegetables, the Chairman of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association assessed that fruits and vegetables are Vietnam's strong products, currently present in more than 60 markets. Many key products such as mango, banana, durian... are currently ranked second in exports to China - the world's largest fruit and vegetable market.

"In 2023, fruit and vegetable exports will grow by 67%. In 2024, the growth momentum will continue to be 27%," said Mr. Binh, affirming that in addition to fresh products, Vietnamese fruits and vegetables also have products such as processed and deep-processed products.

The export result of 7.2 billion USD in 2024, according to Mr. Binh, is due to the accumulation of achievements from previous years. Most fruit trees require a long investment period, from 3-5 years.

The number of officially exported fruits and vegetables is increasing. For example, China currently licenses 15 fruit and vegetable products, contributing to the positive growth of products such as durian, banana, coconut, etc.

Finally, the market share of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables continues to increase, for example from 3rd to 2nd place in China, or the US increased by more than 30%, Thailand increased by more than 80%.

Trade promotion activities on fruits and vegetables are increasingly interested and invested in by all levels, sectors, and industry associations. Combined with 16 new generation FTAs, the fruit and vegetable industry today has many opportunities to access potential markets.

According to Mr. Binh, the success of the fruit and vegetable industry has been greatly contributed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as its affiliated units such as the Department of Crop Production, the Department of Plant Protection, etc. Thanks to that, market information, quarantine requirements, and the role of a bridge, etc. have been maintained and stabilized.

In 2025, the Chairman of the Fruit and Vegetable Association said that the trade war between the United States and China, global geopolitical conflicts, etc. are major challenges.

For more sustainable exports, Mr. Binh said that it is necessary to pay attention to post-harvest technology, improve product quality, and improve business compliance capacity. "Together, we will go further," he emphasized.

Recognizing and appreciating the unity and solidarity of the fruit and vegetable industry, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan added that for the first time, the domestic fruit and vegetable industry could penetrate so deeply into the Chinese market, at the Fruit Festival event held in Beijing, China.The head of the agricultural sector acknowledged that the fact that fruits and vegetables “can go far” is a testament to the quality and trust of international friends. This is a great source of encouragement and motivation for the fruit and vegetable industry to further promote its achievements in 2025.

Source: Nong Nghiep Newspaper