Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports in 2022 reached 3.4 billion USD, down 6.6% compared to 2021 (in 2021, exports reached 3.55 billion USD). Meanwhile, fruit and vegetable imports reached over 2 billion USD, up 35% compared to 2021. Thus, the fruit and vegetable industry still had a trade surplus of about 1.3 billion USD.
Although our country's fruit and vegetable exports are still billions of dollars larger than its imports, the gap between exports and imports seems to be getting closer. Importing fruits and vegetables is considered normal when the country has many foreign tourists coming to Vietnam and many people in the country like to eat foreign fruits and vegetables. However, once the balance of fruit and vegetable exports and imports is shortened, there is clearly a "not small" concern. The more deeply we integrate into the world economy, the more fierce the competition in productivity, quality, and price is for all products. However, worrying about the fruit and vegetable industry is something that not only all levels and sectors are concerned about, but each citizen also needs to have a correct view.
Vegetables and fruits are seasonal products. Tropical climate regions like Vietnam have many advantages for growing vegetables and fruits, but climate change is becoming increasingly unpredictable, while the application of science and technology in cultivation is not widespread, leading to many crop failures. In related developments, many countries without advantages are strongly applying science and technology to have more vegetables and fruits for domestic consumption and export. Notably, the largest partner of Vietnam's vegetable and fruit industry is China, in terms of export (11 months) reaching nearly 1.4 billion USD, down 22% compared to 2021, market share decreased from 54% to 45% this year. Meanwhile, vegetable and fruit imports from China reached 765 million USD, up 83% and market share increased from 31% to nearly 41% compared to the same period in 2021.
The above statistics show that we still have a surplus in exports of vegetables and fruits, but clearly the balance of exports and imports is narrowing. After the pandemic, China reopened its border gates, meaning that exports and imports will be vibrant, but advantages and difficulties will be intertwined. Notably, Chinese vegetables and fruits that are strongly consumed in the Vietnamese market include apples, grapes, oranges, tangerines, garlic, green beans, onions, onions, enoki mushrooms, potatoes, king oyster mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, etc. Our country can still produce those things well, but the market share has narrowed. "Rice without vegetables, pain without medicine" - vegetables and fruits in our country are food, food and many are considered cheap but highly effective medicines... Therefore, the issue of firmly consolidating the "position" of vegetables and fruits is important in agricultural development.
Article: Nguyen Nguyen
Illustration: Document
