On the back of more and more foreign markets opening up their doors, sales have catapulted over three-fold from just US$460 million in 2010 to US$1.47 billion in 2014, he said.
Vinafruit figures show the upward trajectory has continued during the nine months January-September of this year with overseas consignments having already climbed 13.5% on-year to an estimated US$1.3 billion.
PhD Nguyen Huu Dat from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in turn revealed that Vietnam businesses shipped 1.6 million metric tons of 40 differing fruit and vegetables to overseas markets in 2014.
Dragon fruit was by far the largest seller out of the mix accounting for 62% of total sales by volume followed by watermelon, longan, litchi and rambutan in descending order.
Most notably, in 2014 the US began allowing longan and litchi to sell in its markets, which helped bolster sales, Dat said, adding that star fruit and mango are both expected to start shipping to the US by the end of the year.
In addition, this year New Zealand has allowed wholesalers and retailers to import rambutan, Australia has given the green light to litchi and Japan has just authorized fresh mangos to be sold within its borders.
For his part, General Director Huynh Quang Dau of the An Giang Fruit-Vegetables and Foodstuff Joint Stock Company said its fruit and vegetable exports have experienced on-year growth rates ranging from 15-20%.
“Shipments to Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and the EU have shot up exponentially so far this year and we are optimistic there is plenty of room for further growth,” Dau stressed.
“Prices have also been upbeat this year with dragon fruit hovering around US$1.32 per kilo,” Dau said, adding that in September the sales price of rambutan surged 30% compared to August.
However, to develop a sustainable export market, businesses in the industry in convert with the government should develop a new export strategy with a particular focus on reducing post-harvest losses, he said.
In addition, their needs to be more aggressive programs put in place to expand new long-term export contracts, he underscored.
Professor Nguyen Quoc Vong of Australia's RMIT University said the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community by the end of this year as well as existing and future Free Trade Agreements will open opportunities to boost exports of farm produce.
But to capitalize on these opportunities, companies must ensure their products comply with the highest of food safety and quality standards along with food labelling requirements, he concluded.
