Vietnam now has nearly 55,000ha of dragon fruit farming and harvests an annual output of about 1.3 million tonnes. (Photo: VNA)Vietnam now has nearly 55,000ha of dragon fruit farming andharvests about 1.3 million tonnes each year. The favourable soil and climateconditions have enabled the country to produce dragon fruit on a large scaleall year round. As a result, it used to be the world’s leader in terms of thefarming area, output, and export value, said Nguyen Quoc Manh, head of thefruit tree division of the Crop Production Department at the Ministry ofAgriculture and Rural Development.
However, after conquering several markets for a certain periodof time, the fruit from Vietnam is facing a number of challenges, he noted,pointing out the foreign markets’ increasingly stringent standards for quality,food safety, and look of fresh dragon fruits, the emergence of many pests anddiseases caused by climate change impacts, soaring fertiliser prices, theunsustainable connectivity between businesses and farmers, the limited numberof companies involved in value chains to meet requirements of major anddemanding markets, and the shortage of advanced processing, packaging, andpreservation facilities.
China, the main market of Vietnamese dragon fruit, has appliedincreasingly strict quality standards. Meanwhile, exports to such new marketsas India and demanding ones like Japan, the Republic of Korea, the EU, and theAmericas, as well as consumption in the domestic market and the processingindustry haven’t recorded good growth.
Besides, the area of dragon fruit farming elsewhere in the worldhas been expanding fast. While the farming area and output in China havesurpassed Vietnam’s, India – a big and potential market – is also working to raisethe farming area from 3,000ha at present to 50,000ha in the next five years,Manh noted.
Therefore, dragon fruit export is forecast to encounter difficulties in thecoming time if Vietnam enlarges the farming area and does not move to improvequality to meet importing markets’ standards, the official went on.
Echoing the view, Tran Thanh Binh, head of the agro-forestry-fisheryexport and import division of the Foreign Trade Agency at the Ministry ofIndustry and Trade, said dragon fruit is one of the key fruit exports. About 80- 85% of the dragon fruit output is exported while the remainder sold in thedomestic market.
Dragon fruit used to generate up to 1 billion USD in exports forVietnam, but the value has declined over the last three years. It stood at 450million USD during the first eight months of 2023, down 4.4% year on year, datashow.
Manh said that as many countries are increasing their dragon fruit farming areaand output, the agricultural sector does not advocate the cultivation areaexpansion, especially in the areas with unfavourable land and climateconditions. The area and output should be maintained at 60,000 - 65,000ha and1.3 - 1.5 million tonnes.
Localities need to apply advanced production processes, ensureproductivity, improve the look, quality, food safety, and origin traceabilityof the fruit, cultivate the varieties matching different markets’ demand, formproduction zones appropriate to export markets, boost the connectivity betweenfarming zones and processing and exporting businesses, maintain traditional marketand develop new ones, and upgrade processing and preservation facilities, accordingto Manh.
Binh perceived that apart from challenges, there remain opportunities for dragonfruit export thanks to the free trade agreements Vietnam has joined, therecovering global demand for farm produce, and falling sea transport expenses.
She recommended ministries and sectors assist localities to sell the fruit inthe domestic market, facilitate the export via northern border gates and officialchannels, improve quality to diversify markets, and capitalise on tradepromotion and business matching programmes.
Patrick Haverman, Deputy Resident Representative of the UN Development Programme(UNDP) in Vietnam, suggested the country focus on quality instead of quantityand maintain concentrated production in such provinces as Binh Thuan, Long An,and Tien Giang to apply Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) standards and the oneson quality, safety, environmental protection, and climate change adaptation.
To do so, farmers and the parties involved in the dragon fruit value chain shouldadopt a market-oriented production mindset, form specialised farming zonesappropriate to main markets, and upgrade the connections within the value chainfrom producers, processors to the logistics system.
Besides, he added, consumers now tend to prioritise low-emissionagricultural products, so Vietnam’s dragon fruit sector should build and expandgreen production models, and minimise emissions and inputs to promote the fruit’svalue and competitiveness./.
VNA
