In 2022, most of Vietnam's farm export items recovered after the pandemic and regained their strong growth. It was a prosperous year, but fruit and veg turnover continued to fall. The continued export turnover decreases in recent years are attributed to unreasonable development strategies. Farmers aim for higher output rather than quality. Also, farmers want to export products through unofficial channels, across border gates to China, rather than official channels. This explains why fruit exports dropped after China, the biggest customer for fruits, set higher requirements on quality of imports and restricted cross-border imports.
Experts point out that consumers not only want clean and delicious food, but also convenience. However, Vietnamese farmers and exporters still have not adapted to new consumption habits. They still prefer selling fresh fruit, and the proportion of processed fruits remains modest.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan has stressed that instead of running after quantity, Vietnam needs to focus on increasing added value.
Source: vietnamnet.vn
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