The singing of the documents marked a success in widening the door to the Chinese market while opening many opportunities to boost exports in agriculture sector.
Since Vietnamese fresh durian was officially allowed to be shipped to China in July 2022, Vietnam exported approximately 500,000 tonnes of frozen durian, generating a turnover of 2.3 billion USD in 2023, with China accounting for a predominant 90% share.
China's allowance of Vietnamese frozen durian exports will bring about more opportunities for the agriculture sector to diversify processing methods, reduce pressure on harvest season, and mitigate risks from reliance on fresh product exports, thus creating higher added value for the durian industry.
According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (Vinafruit), under the newly signed protocol, frozen durian is expected to join the list of billion-USD export commodities by 2025, and soon become a push to realise the export value target of 3.5 billion USD, thus contributing to bring the overall fruit and vegetable export revenue to 7 billion USD this year.
In addition to frozen durian, the approval for Vietnamese fresh coconut to access China is also good news for Vietnamese farmers.
The export value of fresh coconut is forecast to increase by an additional 200-300 million USD in 2024 and continue to grow robustly in the following years.
Vietnam is currently listed among the top 10 largest coconut growers in the world, with a total growing area of around 200,000 hectares and a yield of approximately 2 million tonnes per year, mainly in the Mekong Delta region.
In addition to frozen durian and fresh coconut, the export of farmed crocodile products also contributes to diversifying Vietnam's agricultural exports to China.
The move not only benefits the economy but also drives sustainable growth in Vietnam’s crocodile farming, ensuring environmental and animal welfare standards.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan sees the signed protocols as a result of positive negotiations.
"We anticipate a substantial boost in agricultural exports, particularly with the newly signed products entering the Chinese market, making a significant contribution to Vietnam’s agricultural sector growth," he said.
However, although the three protocols pave the way for Vietnamese agricultural products to enter the Chinese market, they also pose stricter requirements on plant quarantine, quality, hygiene, and safety. Therefore, farmers and exporters must strictly observe regulations and standards on product quality.
It is also worth mentioning that as frozen durian and fresh coconuts are permitted for official export to China, it may create a trend in expanding the planting and farming areas.
Thus, local authorities need to pay due attention to tightening the management of planting areas and packaging facilities for agricultural product export.
In the first seven months of 2024, China remained in top three markets for Vietnam's agro-forestry-aquatic product exports, accounting for 20.5% of the total, a 11.3% increase compared to the same period last year.
With the three new protocols, Vietnam's agricultural product exports to China are expected to see a boom, providing favourable conditions for realising the sector's export target of 54 billion-55 billion USD in 2024.
