Preliminary results in November, fruit and vegetable exports reached 445 million USD, up nearly 20% over the same period last year. However, the growth rate of fruit and vegetable exports slowed down compared to previous months due to reduced durian output.
According to a preliminary report of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, cumulative 11 months of fruit and vegetable exports are estimated to reach 6.6 billion USD, up 27% over the same period last year and it is forecast that the whole year 2024 will exceed the 7 billion mark. USD. Notably, since mid-October 2024, durian exports have shown signs of “running out of steam”, causing the growth of the entire fruit and vegetable industry to decelerate.
Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said: This year’s unfavorable weather and dry beginning of the crop caused output in the Mekong Delta, Southeast and Southern Central Highlands to decrease significantly. When the largest production region, the Central Highlands, reaches its peak harvest in September – October, it rains a lot, affecting the quality of durian, making it insufficient for export. Currently, durian off-season in the West is in harvest season, and output has also decreased significantly because of unfavorable weather.
“Due to the unfavorable weather, the area of durian harvest has increased, so Vietnam’s durian export output and turnover this year will reach about 3.3 billion USD, higher than expectations at the beginning of next year. 300 million USD. It is forecasted that with the current growth momentum and the addition of frozen durian products, it is likely that the export of the “king fruit” can reach 4 billion USD by 2025,” Mr. Nguyen said.
On the contrary, Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable imports in November reached 237%, an increase of 60% over the same period in 2023. This is the end of the year, with many cultural activities and festivals, so the amount of imported vegetables and fruits increased to serve the market, especially the gift product group. Accumulated 11 months of fruit and vegetable imports reached 2.1 billion USD, up 18% over the same period last year. Thus, the export surplus of fruits and vegetables reached 4.5 billion USD.
