Govt wants to quadruple mango exports by 2030

The country plans to expand the area under mango and production by 2030 to achieve exports of US$650mil (RM2.6bil) to take advantage of the growing global demand for the fruit.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Agro Processing and Market Development Authority, last year mango exports were worth US$180mil (RM743mil), or 1.15% of the global export share, with China accounting for nearly US$152mil (RM627mil).

Vietnam also exported to Russia, the US, Korea, the European Union, Australia and Japan.

Nguyen Dinh Tung, chairman of Vina T&T Group, said his company’s preservation technologies keep the fruit for around a month and the free trade agreements Vietnam has signed markets is helping it enter many new markets.

Mango could be grown throughout the year without much change in quality, which helps his company easily clinch export deals, he said.

Vietnam has around 87,000ha under mango, with the Mekong Delta accounting for nearly half of it.

Dong Thap province has identified mango as a key crop in its agricultural reform plan.

The province, the largest mango producer in the delta, uses advanced farming techniques and processes fresh mangoes for both domestic consumption and export.

Pham Thien Nghia, chairman of its People’s Committee, said the province has more than 12,000ha under mango, mostly in Cao Lanh District and Cao Lanh City.

The Hoa Loc variety accounts for 70% of its output and Cat Chu for 20%, two speciality varieties that are in high demand.

Dong Thap plans to increase its area under various fruits to more than 35,000ha from 33,000ha now by 2025 with a focus on environment-friendly farming methods and developing value chains for them. — Vietnam News/ANN