Vietnam’s pomelos make historic debut in the demanding Australian market

THE HANOI TIMES — Vietnam today [October 9] officially exported its first batch of pomelos to Australia, marking a major step in expanding the country’s fruit exports to a high-value and demanding market.

The export announcement ceremony took place in Hanoi, co-organized by the Plant Protection and Production Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and the Australian Embassy in Vietnam.

Vietnam gained market access after nearly two years of pest risk assessments, field inspections and sample testing conducted by both sides. Pomelos are now the sixth Vietnamese fruit approved for export to Australia, following dragon fruit, mango, lychee, longan and passion fruit.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Hoang Trung said that access to the Australian market proves the quality of Vietnamese farm produce and shows the country’s growing reputation in plant quarantine management.

“This is a significant step forward, opening new opportunities for Vietnamese fruits to reach other premium markets,” he said.

According to the ministry's Plant Protection Department, all exported pomelos must be intact, free from 19 regulated pests and sourced from registered growing areas. The fruits must be packaged, labeled and irradiated at a minimum of 150 Gy in approved facilities.

Green-skinned pomelos are expected to be the key variety for Australia due to their distinctive flavor, high quality and long shelf life.

Trung said that the first shipment of pomelos shows Vietnam’s determination to expand market access and improve every stage of production, from seed selection and cultivation to post-harvest processing.

“The Australian market serves as a benchmark for our integration capacity and a springboard for Vietnamese agricultural products to reach other high-end destinations,” he said.

Exporting pomelos to Australia is also expected to boost Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable export turnover and help narrow the trade gap that currently favors Australia.

During January-August of 2025, Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports to Australia increased by 28% on-year to US$89 million. Australia is now Vietnam’s sixth-largest market for these products, after China, the US, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan (China) and the Netherlands.

The total value of Vietnam's pomelo exports also rose 28% on-year in the eight-month period to some $52 million. Pomelos now rank among Vietnam’s 10 most valuable exported fruits.

In 2024, Australia exported US$151 million worth of fruits and vegetables to Vietnam, while Vietnam shipped US$111 million to Australia, making the latter one of the fastest-growing markets for Vietnam’s agricultural exports.

Vietnam currently exports pomelos to 14 countries and territories, including the US, South Korea and New Zealand. The cultivation area has doubled over the past decade to over 100,000 hectares, with an annual output of nearly one million tons.

In 2024, pomelo exports reached about US$60 million, but experts say the potential remains much higher thanks to year-round harvesting and competitive production costs.

On the same day, Australia announced its first official export of blueberries to Vietnam, signaling a stronger two-way agricultural partnership.

At the ceremony, representatives from both sides signed the import conditions for Australian blueberries entering Vietnam and the Operational Work Plan governing Vietnamese pomelo imports to Australia.

They also discussed cooperation opportunities and technical standards in production, quarantine and fruit trade to build a sustainable supply chain between the two countries.