Exports were down because many items with high export value saw volumes fall sharply, such as dragon fruit, which accounts for about 36% of total export value but fell nearly 10% in volume, bananas (down 13%), durian (56%), lychee (22%), and watermelon (36%).
Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (VINAFRUIT), attributed the result to declining imports from China, saying it imported 25% less fruit and vegetables than in 2019.
He noted, however, that exports to other countries still posted stable growth, such as Thailand (140%), the US and the Republic of Korea (both 11%), and Japan (5%).
Fruit and vegetable exports were severely influenced by the development of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, Nguyen said.
According to MARD, Vietnam also spent US$1.29 billion on importing fruit and vegetables last year, down 27.5% against 2019.
China, the US, and Australia are Vietnam’s largest providers, the ministry said.
