Ample room for Vietnamese fruits to enter U.S.

The information was highlighted at a working session between Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Trung and the U.S. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on August 27 as part of the Vietnamese official's visit to the U.S.

They initiated the review process for new Vietnamese products, including seedless lemons, guavas, and jackfruits.

Additionally, they reached an agreement on the pest list and subsequent steps in the review process for tangerines, plums, lemons, pomegranates, and other products relevant to U.S. plant breeding.

At a meeting between Hoang Trung and Jason Hafemeister, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on the same day, both sides expressed their satisfaction with the approval to export U.S. peaches and nectarines to the Vietnamese market, marking significant progress in market access for other fruits from both countries.

Deputy Secretary Hafemeister noted that the U.S. has never enjoyed such a close cooperative relationship with any other regional partner.

The U.S. pledges continued support for Viet Nam in implementing projects related to fertilizer management, biological pesticides, and rice production in the Mekong Delta region, he said.

Hoang Trung expressed hope that the USDA will play an appropriate role in the consultation process regarding trade defense cases against Viet Nam's agro-forestry-fishery products, particularly those involving timber, warm-water shrimp, and honey.

Both sides shared their commitment to developing green and environmentally responsible agricultural production, collaborating to ensure global food security.

Eight types of Vietnamese fruits have been shipped to the U.S. so far, namely dragon fruit, rambutan, longan, lychee, star apple, mango, pomelo and coconut.

During January-July, fruit and vegetable exports rose by 24.3 percent year-on-year to US$3.83 billion.

The U.S. was the third biggest importer of Vietnamese fruits over the first seven months of this year with US$157 million, up 33.5 per cent.

The U.S. is also a crucial export market for Viet Nam's agricultural products. In 2023, the Southeast Asian nation earned US$10.96 billion from exporting farm produce to the U.S., accounting for 20.7 percent of its total agricultural exports worldwide./.