Vietnam to export rambutan to New Zealand

The move comes after a meeting between Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue and senior officials from the government of New Zealand in July of last year during Hue's official working visit to the country.

Currently, Vietnam exports just two fresh fruit items to New Zealand: mango and dragon fruit. Vietnamese rambutan passed the country's import risk assessment in 2014.

Vietnamese rambutan has been exported to the US, Canada, and the EU, as well as the Middle East, Africa, China and neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia.

The fruit is mainly grown in the southern provinces, with a total area of more than 50,000 ha dedicated to rambutan, supplying roughly 300,000 tonnes of the fruit per year.