A staff member of the Region-VII Plant Quarantine Sub-Department in the northern province of Lạng Sơn checks fruit samples before allowing them to be exported. —VNA/VNS
HANOI (Vietnam News/Asia News Network): The export of rice, fruit and vegetables to China and other markets posted a remarkable surge by 34.7 per cent and 64.2 per cent, respectively in the first half, said an official during a meeting of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in Hanoi on Wednesday (July 19) to review the market situation and launch tasks for the coming quarters of this year.
Director of the MARD’s Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department Nguyen Nhu Tiep predicted export growth of fruit and vegetables to be maintained in the second half, assuming firms pay attention to quality, design, packaging and origin tracing to meet market demand.
He said the MARD will sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in agriculture development and trade in agro-forestry-fisheries China’s Guangxi and Yunnan provinces in September, on the occasion of the 20th China-Asean Expo (CAEXPO) in Guangxi.
It will also consider working with the Vietnam Trade Office in China’s Nanning to step up the consumption of farm produce at the expo.
Efforts will be made to establish the Vietnam-Guangxi Association of Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Enterprises.
The MARD will also expedite technical measures to soon conclude a Protocol with the General Administration of Customs of China on food safety requirements, quarantine and inspection for aquatic products imported and exported between the two countries.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam said MARD will focus on trade promotion and market development to boost the export of key agro-forestry and aquatic products to the three major markets of China, the US and Japan.
An online forum is slated for July 21 to connect production, processing and export of Vietnamese shrimp to the US.
Trade promotion activities for fruit products will be also held on the sidelines of events marking the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties and the Asean-Japan Summit in Tokyo in this December.
Every quarter, MARD units update market regulations and consumer preferences through commercial attachés and the Vietnam business associations in various markets.
