On Nguyen Thai Son Street in Go Vap District, it is easy to see piles of oranges grown in southwestern localities sold on local streets. Each kilo costs between VND12,000-25,000.
Cheap fruit floods HCM City streets as exports to China fall.
Nguyen Han, a fruit seller on the street, said that the current orange prices were just 60% of last year.
On Cach Mang Thang Tam Street in District 10 and Kinh Duong Vuong Street in Binh Tan District, each kilo of avocado is around VND15,000-20,000 compared to at least VND35,000 in previous years.
Other kinds of fruit such as dragon fruit, durian and mangoes are in the same situation. Each kilo of durian is now being sold in HCM City at just between VND55,000-60,000.
According to fruit traders in HCM City, the price drop is attributed to difficulties in fruit exports to China amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the first nine months of this year, Vietnam’s total fruit export value to China was estimated at only USD9.8 bilion, down 8.6% on-year. Most of the country’s spearhead fruit export value to China fell in the phase.
Besides being affected by Covid-19, China has applied a tighter inspection policy for imports into the country through borders. So exporters have to correctly declare the types of goods they export, especially for the nine agricultural products that Vietnam has signed with agreement with China, so that their vehicles won't be detained and result in a lengthy and complex handling process.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has worked with the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam and other concerned Chinese agencies on measures to help speed up Vietnamese fruit exports to the country.
The MARD has also urged localities and Vietnamese exporters to pay more attention to China’s tighter import regulations to facilitate their exports.