Hanoi (VNA) – Agriculturalexports to China posted impressive growth between January and May, withshipments of some produce even matching or surpassing the corresponding figuresfor the entire 2020, data of the Plant Protection Department under the Ministryof Agriculture and Rural Development showed.

During the period, Vietnamshipped over 468,000 tonnes of mango to China, equivalent to 112 percent oflast year’s figure; 348,000 tonnes of banana, 87 percent; 301,000 tonnes ofjackfruit, 92 percent; and 1.1 million tonnes of dragon fruit, 63 percent.

The Nong nghiep Viet Nam (Agricultureof Vietnam) newspaper cited Hoang Trung, Director of the Plant ProtectionDepartment, as saying that China has long been the main importer of Vietnamesefarm produce, and although Vietnam is working hard to diversify export markets,this could not be done overnight.

Given this, China will remainthe largest buyer of Vietnamese agro-forestry-fishery products in the time tocome, he noted.

As China has set increasinglystrict standards for agricultural imports from other countries, since 2018, thePlant Protection Department has coordinated with localities, businesses, andcooperatives nationwide to meet the importer’s requirements.

Within three years, Vietnamgranted 3,400 production unit codes for many products to serve different exportmarkets. In particular, 1,703 production unit codes were given to farming areasand 1,776 others for packaging facilities in order to meet requirements forexports to the Chinese market, Trung said.

The country has beenmaintaining smooth exports of several key fruits via official channels to Chinasuch as mango, banana, dragon fruit, longan, lychee, jackfruit, and water melon.

The two sides have reachedconsensus on plant quarantine solutions for sweet potato and durian whilepomelo, passion fruit, and coconut are among those awaiting negotiations, theofficial added.

Regarding the competitionfrom Thai and Cambodian rivals in the Chinese market, which is normal in anopen economy, Trung said it will encourage businesses and farmers to cooperatewith one another more strongly and professionally so as to improve productquality, reduce production cost, and boost the competitiveness of Vietnamesegoods in the global market./.