Dragon fruits present in 30 markets

VGP – Vietnamese dragon fruits are available in 30 foreign countries, becoming the fastest growing and most stable hard currency earner among fruit exports, according to the Southern Fruit Research Institute (SOFRI).

September 14, 2013 4:37 PM GMT+7

Illustration photo

Last year, dragon fruit shipments reached US$181 million, representing a half of the country’s total fruit export revenue of US$360 million.

In the first half of 2013, 145,000 tons of dragon fruits brought back US$94 million in export revenue, up 22.5% against the same period last year.

In the January-June period, China was the biggest importer of Vietnamese dragon fruits by occupying 69% of the market share (US$65 million, up 20%); followed by the US (up 51%); Thailand (up 42%); Indonesia (up 40%); and Germany (up 50%).

Thanks to the applications of Vietnamese Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) standards, safe and hygiene regulations, Vietnamese dragon fruits have successfully penetrated in the US and New Zealand.

In the US market, prices of Vietnamese dragon fruit exports were 53% higher than in 2012 at around US$5 per kilogram.

Japan and Taiwan are potential markets for Vietnamese dragon fruits for the rest of the year./.

By Khanh Phuong