According to the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia, Australia imports fruits and vegetables worth 1.7-2 billion USD each year from other countries, with imports from Vietnam accounting for a miniscule part. The figures of Vietnam Customs show that Vietnam exported over 1.3 billion USD worth of goods to Australia in the first half of this year, of which fruit and vegetable made up 10.3 million USD.
Vietnam’s fruit and vegetables export value to Australia reached 19.6 million USD in 2014 and 17.4 million USD in 2015. Last year, the total fruit and vegetables export revenue of Vietnam reached 1.85 billion USD, according to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association. Vietnam exports more than 40 kinds of fruits and vegetables to over 40 countries and territories.
Lychee was the first Vietnamese fruit shipped to Australia, starting May last year. Lychee exports reached 28 tons at the end of 2015. Australia has imported more than 10 tons of fresh lychees from Vietnam so far this year. According to the Vietnam Trade Office in Australia, Vietnam lychees were mainly consumed in Sydney and Melbourne city in 2015, but this year half of the volume was shipped to Perth city, Western Australia. In addition, this year’s import price was lower as transportation costs were reduced, but Vietnamese lychees have to compete with Chinese lychees which were cheaper. However, the Vietnam fruits can compete with Chinese lychees given their quality and nice-looking skin.
Australia is also considering other Vietnamese fruits including dragon fruits and mangoes. Mango has been accessed since November, 2015 and the first shipment is expected soon. Vietnam conducted evaluation of market access for dragon fruits right after Australia approved the import of Vietnamese fresh lychees.
A delegation from Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources arrived at Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta provinces of Long An and Tien Giang and south central coastal Binh Thuan province in late June, 2016 to inspect the cultivation and harvest of dragon fruits as well as other steps before the fruits are ready for export to Australia.
Vietnam has more than 36,000 hectares of dragon fruit, mostly in the central province of Binh Thuan and the southern provinces of Long An and Tien Giang with a total annual productivity of more than 615,000 tons, according to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association.
The Vietnam Trade Office in Australia said that the visit of Australian delegation is an important part in the risks analysis process. The Australian Government is scheduled to release a draft report for public comment at the end of 2016. The process to pave the way for fresh fruits to reach the market takes at least two years, the office said.
Vietnam frozen, dried and processed fruits and vegetables also have great potential to be exported to Australia, experts have said. For example, Australia imports 22-27 million USD worth of processed pineapple products annually, but only 0.3-0.7 million USD from Vietnam.
The most important issue to be addressed in order to sell more Vietnamese fruit and vegetable to the Australian market is ensuring food safety and hygiene throughout all steps from growing, harvesting to processing.
