Strictly comply with regulations when exporting fruits and vegetables to the EU market

European consumers are more and more interested in tropical fruits, so Vietnamese fruits still have a lot of fiscal space to develop in this market. However, in order to enter this market, a prerequisite is to comply with the general requirements for fresh fruits and vegetables. It is avoiding pesticide residues and contaminants.

Consumption demand increases

According to the Vietnam Trade Office in Belgium and the EU, European consumers are increasingly interested in imported fruits and most fruits are imported into Nordic countries. Tropical fruits that are increasingly popular in the EU are pomegranate, passion fruit, rose apple, lychee, dragon fruit, rambutan and star fruit.

[...] Statistics show that the import value of foreign products such as fresh lychee, passion fruit, star fruit, and dragon fruit increased by 40% in the past 5 years (2015 - 2019). Other tropical fruits like pomegranate – become popular every year; Passion fruit, lychee, and rose apple are also available at some major retailers on different occasions.

As for rambutan and dragon fruit, it is still considered a specialty. This is an opportunity for Vietnamese fruit exporters to conquer this market.

However, each market has different consumption needs. Germany is one of the largest consumers of imported fruits, especially pomegranates and rose apples, as well as a number of other tropical fruits; France has a huge seasonal demand for lychee. Meanwhile, Belgium is a market with opportunities to re-export lychees and pomegranates; Italy has a large consumer market, but most tropical fruit is produced domestically or imported from other European countries.

Statistics show that the import value to the EU of foreign products such as fresh lychee, passion fruit, star fruit and dragon fruit has increased by 40% in the past 5 years.

Ensure compliance and maintain quality

Để cạnh tranh và có chỗ đứng tại thị trường này, Thương vụ Việt Nam tại Bỉ và EU khuyến nghị, doanh nghiệp xuất khẩu trái cây của Việt Nam phải có khả năng cung cấp các sản phẩm chất lượng cao vào các thời điểm cụ thể trong năm và tìm được những người mua quen thuộc với các đặc điểm và phân khúc thị trường.

However, in order to enter this market, a prerequisite is to comply with the general requirements for fresh fruits and vegetables. It is avoiding pesticide residues and contaminants.

“Major retailers in some member states such as Germany, the Netherlands and Austria, use more stringent maximum residue levels (MRLs) than the MRLs set out in European law. Wholesalers and food servicers need to pay more attention to the appearance and taste of their products and follow common European guidelines.” - Vietnam Trade Office in Belgium and the EU informed.

Therefore, it is important for exporters to find out which MRLs are relevant for tropical products by consulting the EU MRL database. Along with that, in the production process, it is necessary to reduce the amount of pesticides by applying integrated pest management (IPM) in production, as this is an agricultural pest control strategy that includes the practice of farming and chemical management.

“Exporters need to absolutely follow the phytosanitary regulations. Exported fruit products must have a phytosanitary certificate before being brought into the EU," the Trade Office representative noted.

Theo Huy Linh - PLVN 

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