Vietnam post-harvest losses hinder export
Some 70% of Vietnam’s export fruit and vegetables are going to China, most of them fresh and unprocessed. Few of Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports went to South Korea, Japan, the United States or the European Union because of Vietnam’s limitations in storing and post-harvest processing.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Vietnam’s post-harvesting losses accounted for 10 % of rice production, 10-20 % of root and tuber crops, and 10-30 % of fruit and vegetables.
An article by vietnamnews.vn explains how in the Mekong Delta region – a major rice bowl for Vietnam, post-harvest rice losses were more than VNĐ 3 trillion ($ 132 million) a year, or 10-12 % of total rice production.