China, Japan, the US and the Republic of Korea remained the biggest importers of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables in the month. The markets with soaring imports from Vietnam included Japan (69.3%), the United Arab Emirates (56.3%), and China (52.4%).
In 2018, the agricultural sector set the growth target of 2.8-3%, with export value reaching US$37- US$38 billion.
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The MARD reported that the domestic fruit market saw great fluctuations, with a rise in the price of dragon fruit in the Mekong Delta region. That said, the price has slightly increased compared to the first half of January, ranging from VND13,000 - VND14,000 per kilogram for type 1 (US$0.57 - US$0.61), while price for type 2 is under VND10,000 per kilogram (US$0.44).
The trend is expected to continue in the lead-up to the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival.
Meanwhile, orange prices in the Mekong Delta region fell dramatically due to abundant supply and the crops face diseases, with price currently at VND5,000 (US$0.22) per kilogram.
Prices of star apples and jack fruits also climbed up, reaching VND 15,000 (US$0.7) and VND 43,000 (US$ 1.9) per kg due to increasing demand for these two products in the US and China, respectively.
Previously, Vietnam has become the first and only country licensed to sell fresh star apples to the US, following years of negotiations.
The US is the third largest fruit importer for Vietnam, with its 2016 fruit export revenue reaching US$84.5 million, an increase of 44.2 per cent over the previous year's figure.
Together with litchi, longan, rambutan and dragon fruit, star apples are the fifth Vietnamese fruit allowed into the American market. The first shipment of star apples to the US had opened big opportunities for the Vietnamese fruits to penetrate other demanding markets, said the MARD deputy minister Tran Thanh Nam at the event announcing the first batch of Vietnamese star apples exported to the US last December.
The growth rate of the Vietnamese agricultural sector was set at 3%, while the targeted export value of agricultural products was US$40 billion, according to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc's statement at MARD's January 4 meeting on the performance of the sector in 2017 and its plans for 2018.
In 2017, the agricultural sector has attained 7 significant results, including reaching an all-time record high export value of US$36 billion. In 2018, the sector set the growth target of 2.8-3%, with export value reaching US$37- US$38 billion.
