The US authorities have allowed Vietnamese pomelos to be imported to the US market in the next 60 days, according to the latest information from the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

A pomelo garden in Hanoi's Quoc Oai District. HNT Photo: Phuong Hoa

Speaking at a forum to connect agricultural production-processing, and promote the domestic market on December 31, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam suggested that businesses capable of exporting to the US should coordinate with the plant quarantine units of Vietnam to complete the documents and soon export the fruit to the US.

According to the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the country has an area under pomelo cultivation of more than 100,000ha which yields an output of nearly 950,000 tons. 

From now until the first quarter of 2022, the country will harvest about 140,000 tons of pomelos. This will be a good opportunity for this Vietnamese fruit to soon conquer the US market.

After pomelos, Vietnamese coconuts will be evaluated by the US side to grant access to this market, according to the MARD.

Currently, fresh Vietnamese fruits which are allowed to enter the US market included mango, longan, lychee, dragon fruit, rambutan, and star apple. Some other fruits are also exported in either frozen or processed conditions.

Vietnam was the 11th largest supplier of processed fruits and vegetables to the US in the first nine months of 2021, with a turnover of US$171.9 million, up nearly 50% over the same period in 2020. The fruit imports from Vietnam accounted for 2.3% of the US total import value, a year-on-year increase of 0.5 percentage points.