Vietnam exports 600,000 tonnes of mangoes in a year, exports to reach $650 million in 10 years

Vietnam exported 600,000 tonnes of mangoes worth over US$310 million to 53 countries and territories in 2021, an increase of nearly 50 per cent over 2020, with the vast majority going to China, Russia, the United States, South Korea, the European Union and Australia, among others.

　　China has been the main export destination for Vietnam's mangoes and in the first six months of 2021, Vietnam's mango exports to China alone reached 468,000 tonnes, surpassing exports to China for the whole of 2020. From the second half of the year, due to the serious epidemic in Vietnam, the border crossing between China and Vietnam was closed several times and the efficiency of customs clearance was significantly reduced for the rest of the year, resulting in a large amount of fruit being sold in Vietnam.

This situation has still not been effectively alleviated this year, and in early March the Vietnamese province of Lang Son issued a notice to continue the suspension of receiving fruit vehicles. According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Lang Son, the current customs clearance tests for agricultural products and fruit exports to China are strict and only 90-100 trucks can be cleared each day due to the impact of the new crown epidemic. It is recommended that exporters of products with ashort shelf life, especially fruit, should open up multiple sales channels.

　　Direct sales of Cambodian mangoes to China began in May 2021, but did not put much pressure on Vietnamese mango exports to China. The Vietnamese domestic media once expected Cambodia to export 50,000 tonnes of mangoes to the Chinese market each year, but due to the epidemic, Cambodian mango exports to China are far from reaching 50,000 tonnes per year.

　　In the first half of 2021, Vietnam's mango exports to the EU increased by 7% in volume and 3.1% in value year-on-year, and the first 3 tonnes of geographical indication mangoes were exported to the EU in February this year. Vietnam is the fourth largest supplier of mangoes to Russia, with imports in 2021 up 114 per cent in volume and 6.1 per cent in value compared to 2020. Vietnamese green mangoes are popular in the Australian market, with exports doubling in 2020 compared to 2019. The Japanese market, which is relatively difficult to export to, also saw shipments increase twofold to 640 tonnes in 2021.

　　Mangoes can be grown all year round in Vietnam and there are no major differences in quality. Vietnam currently has around 87,000 hectares under mango cultivation, nearly half of which is in the Mekong Delta. More than 12,000 hectares of mangoes are grown in Dong Thap province, with 928 hectares meeting the VietGAP standard and 53 hectares meeting the GlobalGAP standard. According to Vietnam's target for mango exports, the area under mango cultivation in Vietnam will be further expanded in 2030 and the export value is expected to increase to US$650 million.