More than a dozen Chinese traders dominate Vietnamese watermelons

The fact that Vietnam's melon purchasing hub is completely dependent on Chinese traders is one of the reasons cited by the Ministry of Industry and Trade to explain the congestion at the border gate.

The shortcomings of watermelon exports to China were once again raised at an online seminar on the import and export of Vietnamese agricultural products, recently organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. According to the Ministry's leaders, watermelons are grown in many localities, but the purchasing is concentrated in a few traders and is controlled by more than 10 Chinese agents.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Chinese traders completely control the selection and acceptance of quality melons when clearing customs. Photo: Quy Doan

After harvesting, Vietnamese businesses transport goods to the border gate, but the right to choose and receive qualified goods is entirely up to Chinese traders.

“Customs clearance time takes 2-4 hours for each truck instead of more than a minute as usual, which significantly affects the quality of watermelons,” said Deputy Minister Tran Tuan Anh.

The Ministry's leaders said that consumption demand in China increases by 10% each year. In 2015 alone, it is forecasted that 130,000 tons will be exported to this market. This is an easy-to-grow crop with more favorable consumption conditions than other crops, so many localities, mainly the South Central region, always prioritize it.

On the management side, Mr. Tran Tuan Anh admitted that the weak link in current export activities is still monitoring market information. In particular, processing and providing information to farmers is still stuck.

Currently, watermelons and some other fruits are sold in supermarkets, but in order to prepare for the plan to expand the domestic consumption market, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will establish close links between localities and distribution units. In the immediate future, Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City are identified as major consumption markets.

According to Vnexpress