Lychee is among the Vietnamese fruits that have been permitted to enter China via official channels (Photo: VNA)The MoU was inked by theVietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association and the Guangxi - ASEAN Trade PromotionAssociation at a teleconference held on August 2 to step up fruit tradingbetween the two countries.
Vietnam is currently thelargest trade partner of China, which in turn ranks second among importers ofVietnamese goods.
Only nine fresh fruits ofVietnam are permitted to be exported to China via official channels at present,namely dragon fruit, water melon, lychee, longan, banana, mango, jackfruit,rambutan, and mangosteen.
The Ministry of Agricultureand Rural Development is working to pave the way for other fruits, includingdurian, pomelo, passion fruit, avocado, and coconut, to enter the Chinese market, which has temporarily licensed the import of sweet potato and chillifrom Vietnam.
Farm produce trading betweenthe two countries has been thriving in the recent time.
However, due to the COVID-19pandemic’s impact, bilateral trade of agricultural products in 2020 dropped by over 4 percent year on year to more than 14.3 billion USD.
Vietnam exported 1.8 billionUSD worth of fruits and vegetables to China last year, down 25.7 percent. In thefirst half of 2021, the shipments rose 16 percent from a year earlier to 1.2billion USD.
The potential for their agriculturalproduct trade is believed to remain huge as Vietnam ranks 17th in the worldand second in ASEAN among agricultural product exporters, while China is thetop destination of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables, over 64 percent of thetotal exports of these commodities in 2020.
The recently signed MoU ishoped to create a chance for associations and businesses of Vietnam tocoordinate with their Chinese counterparts to step up ties in farm produceproduction, processing, and trading amid challenges caused by the pandemic./.
VNA
