Vietnam’s exports of fruits and vegetables to the Middle East and North Africa soared from US$255.1mil (RM1.14bil) in 2019 to US$380.3mil (RM1.7bil) in 2021. — Reuters
HO CHI MINH CITY: The Middle East and Africa have high demand for fruits and vegetables, offering Vietnamese firms a great opportunity to boost exports, according to the Industry and Trade Ministry.
Nguyen Minh Phuong, director of the ministry’s Asia-Africa market department, said the Middle East, which comprises 15 countries and has a population of around 400 million people, has a high per capita income.
They import large volumes of agricultural products, including fruits and vegetables, she said.
Africa too has huge demand for agricultural products, but because of the distances, Vietnamese firms only export to countries in the north of the continent, she said.
Vietnam’s exports of fruits and vegetables to the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) have soared from US$255.1mil (RM1.14bil) in 2019 to US$380.3mil (RM1.7bil) in 2021, with the main markets being Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iraq, Qatar, Morocco, and Algeria, she said.
But the exports account for only 2.6% of the region’s total imports in 2021, she said.
Of the exports to Mena, cashew is the largest item, rising from US$167.8mil (RM751mil) worth in 2019 to US$260.8mil (RM1.17bil) in 2021 and accounting for 50.2% of its total imports, she said.
“Vietnamese cashew products are available in many supermarkets in the UAE, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Egypt, and companies should continue to promote exports to the region,” she said.
Vietnam also exports coconut products (mature coconut, copra and coconut oil), lemon, almond, macadamia, banana, grapefruit, guava, mango, mangosteen, watermelon, lychee, rambutan, plum, carrot, and radish to the region. — Viet Nam News/ANN
