The US and China lead the way in exporting fruits and vegetables to Vietnam, with grapes and apples being the most imported in 2024.

According to customs data, last year Vietnam spent more than 2.4 billion USD buying fruits and vegetables from other countries, up 24% compared to the same period in 2023. Among the 16 main markets, China and the US had the strongest growth in fruit and vegetable exports to Vietnam.

Specifically, Vietnam spent nearly 1 billion USD importing Chinese fruits and vegetables, an increase of 25% compared to 2023. The purchase of this item from the US was 544 million USD, an increase of 64% - the highest level among 16 markets. In total, Vietnam purchased fruits and vegetables from these two markets reached over 1.5 billion USD last year.

Australia ranked third, with 151 million USD, an increase of more than 6% over the same period last year.

Apples, grapes, pistachios, and almonds are the most imported products. The prices of these items in the above countries are also more competitive than before. In particular, there are many types of apples and grapes, meeting all segments from popular to high-end. Last year also marked many Chinese fruits on Vietnamese supermarket shelves.

According to businesses, agricultural products from China and the US have increased sharply thanks to trade agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the Vietnam-US Bilateral Trade Agreement, with many tax incentives and reduced technical barriers.

Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, assessed that fruits and vegetables from the above markets are of good quality and reasonably priced for consumers.

In recent years, China has researched and grown many high-end agricultural products originating from Japan and South Korea at prices only a quarter of those imported from other countries, suitable for the Vietnamese market. American apples are also more competitive than those from New Zealand and Australia, so they are consumed a lot.

According to a market survey, the selling price of fruits purchased from the US and China is cheaper than before. Currently, the price of grapes from these two countries imported to Vietnam fluctuates between 80,000 and 200,000 VND per kg; apples 49,000-150,000 VND. This level decreased by 20-30% compared to 2023.

In contrast, Vietnam imported fruits and vegetables from Korea at 56 million USD, India at 57 million and New Zealand at 105 million USD, down 12-17% compared to the same period in 2023.

Source: VnExpress Newspaper