Vietnamese Fruit Exporters Pin Hopes on EU Market
Vietnamese fruit and vegetable exporters are expected to boost sales of products at the European Union (EU) market, thanks to a business seminar on the topic in Ho Chi Minh City on May 28, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
The event is part of a program to provide businesses with market information and technical assistance to modernize their production facilities and increase the quality of products, the agency said.
The Ho Chi Minh City Agricultural Consultancy and Support Centre and the Netherlands’ Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI) jointly held it.
Jos Leeters, an expert from CBI, said the technical assistance will be provided from June 2008 to December 2011 while support for entry to the EU market will begin in 2010.
At present, Vietnam’s vegetable and fruit exports to the EU are relatively small in volume, with some fruits including grapefruit, durian, litchi and blue dragon considered as low quality.
Relevant agencies are helping farmers, businesses and localities develop a grapefruit and blue dragon production network to meet EU regulations and standards.
Vietnam is estimated to have exported US$159 million worth of fruits and vegetables in the first five months of 2008, up 19.4 per cent on year, according to the General Statistics Office. (VNA, Vinanet)
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