“Since the RCEP came into effect on Jan 1, 2022, and especially after China allowed the importation of a number of Vietnamese agricultural products, such as durian, bird’s nest, sweet potato and passion fruit, Vietnamese enterprises have found big opportunities to export to the northern neighbour,” said Dinh Gia Nghia, deputy general director of Dong Giao Foodstuff Export Joint Stock Co.
HANOI: Despite a gloomy global picture of rising fuel prices, inflation and disruptions to supply chains, two-way trade between China and Vietnam last year achieved high growth, thanks to the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
“Since the RCEP came into effect on Jan 1, 2022, and especially after China allowed the importation of a number of Vietnamese agricultural products, such as durian, bird’s nest, sweet potato and passion fruit, Vietnamese enterprises have found big opportunities to export to the northern neighbour,” said Dinh Gia Nghia, deputy general director of Dong Giao Foodstuff Export Joint Stock Co.
To increase export turnover to RCEP member countries, including China, Vietnamese firms must innovate in technology and upgrade designs and product quality, Nghia told Xinhua News Agency in December.
“The RCEP has become a launching pad for us to increase product output and quality, as well as quantity and the value of exports.”
These sentiments were echoed by both local farmers and officials of provinces that export fruit.
“I just sold five tonnes of durian to traders for nearly 80,000 Vietnamese dong (US$3.41 or RM14.5) per kilogramme, more than doubling the price of the same period last year (2021),” said Nguyen Van Hai, a veteran farmer in the Cai Lay district of Tien Giang’s southern province.
According to Nguyen Van Man, director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tien Giang province, Vietnamese durian exports to China via official channels since September are a contributing factor to the higher prices and greater volumes of the fruit shipped.
The Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development, which falls under the Vietnamese Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry, said the country earned nearly US$50mil (RM212mil) from exporting durian to China in October – skyrocketing 4,120% for the same period in 2021.
This was an unprecedented increase for the Vietnamese durian sector, the institute said in a statement.
From Sept 17 to Nov 30, over 20,000 tonnes of the fruit were shipped to China via official channels, and the volume is estimated to have surged to 30,000 tonnes by the end of December, said the institute.
Vietnamese companies are expanding their production zones and improving fruit quality to boost exports to China and other RCEP states.
“We intend to increase the number of certified fruit cultivation areas and improve the processing scale in order to supply durian for export all-year round,” Vu Ngoc Huy, deputy general director of Dung Thai Son Import-Export Trading Joint Stock Co, told Xinhua in December.
By the end of 2022, the company had 17 facilities for fruit purchasing and packing in Dak Lak and Tien Giang, with more than 200 workers, Huy said, adding that its output of processed durian for export is about 50 tonnes a day.
Van Xuan Phat Import-Export Co in Ho Chi Minh City is also focusing on exporting fruit, especially durian and passion fruit, to China and other RCEP members. — Viet Nam News/Ann
