Illustrative image (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Thanks to their freshness and succulent tastes,Vietnamese dragon fruits, bananas and mangos are being sought-after at Japaneselarge supermarkets like Don Quijote, Daiei and Aeon.
Beforebananas, white-flesh dragon fruits and mangos were constantly shipped to the Japanesemarket. Meanwhile, red-flesh dragon fruits reached Japanese consumers in Marchshortly after they were licensed for export to the East Asian country.
Hidekatsu Ishikawa, President of Vient Co. Ltd, a Japanese importer, saidVietnamese bananas suit Japanese people’s taste and they are sold atcompetitive prices.
To date, besides such key exports as garments, footwear and aquatic products,Vietnamese dragon fruits, mangos, frozen litchis and bananas have been presentin Japan. Fresh litchis and star apples also see great potential in thisfastidious market.
According to Tran Thanh Hai, Deputy Director of the Agency for Foreign Tradeunder the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Vietnam-Japan EconomicPartnership Agreement (VJEPA) is entering a new phase, opening opportunitiesfor Vietnamese exports.
Vietnamese products, especially farm produce and aquatic products, will enjoypreferential tax rates in the Japanese market. Regarding aquaculture, tax willbe cut down to 1.31 percent in 2019 from 5.4 percent in 2008. Thus, domesticenterprises should take full advantage to gain benefits, Hai stressed.
He also recommended that exporters must ensure utmost quality for theirproducts as Japan has put in place numerous technical barriers on agriculturalimports.
Meanwhile, a representative from the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) alsonoted that packing and transportation should be paid special attention, ensuringthat origin of agricultural products can be traced easily.-VNA
VNA
