Shoppers in India, New Zealand, Australia and Chile could soon be buying Vietnamese dragonfruit, as the fruit reaches new international markets, reports the Vietnam News Agency (VNA).
Vietnam'sMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Mard) told the VNA that it is working withthe Ministry of Industry and Trade to complete procedures to ship dragonfruit to Australia this year.
Mard added that the fruit isalso entering new markets including India, New Zealand and Chile
Vietnamese dragonfruit is already exported to 40 different countries, such as China, Thailand and Indonesia, Mard said.
In January, the Australian Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources released its final review of bio-security requirements for Vietnam’s fresh dragonfruits, VNA said.
In mid-June, a letter was sent to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade by the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, detailing the process of opening the market for Vietnamese fresh dragonfruit.
The embassy also recommended supporting Vietnam in asking permission from the Food Standards Australia New Zealand to use irradiation treatment on dragonfruit shipped to Australia.
Dragonfruit is a Vietnamese agricultural staple, with export earnings of US$895.7m in 2016, making up 50.3 per cent of the country’s fresh fruit exports and 36.1 per cent of overall vegetable exports, according to VNA.
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