New opportunities for banana exports to China: Minister

Packaging bananas for export in Ba Ria-Vung Tau. (Photo: VNA)

The Protocol recently signed by the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the General Administration of Customs China (GACC) will bring opportunities and benefits to Vietnamese banana growers and exporters, said MARD Minister Le Minh Hoan.

Accordingly, the Protocol on plant quarantine for Vietnamese fresh bananas exported to China is one of the 13 agreements inked by the Vietnamese and Chinese ministries, agencies and localities during Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit to China from October 30 to November 1.

Hoan said the Protocol will ensure the official export of bananas at stable prices, facilitate customs clearance at border gates to ease overload of farm produce and banana products there while improving the prestige of Vietnamese bananas.

Under the document, all banana farming areas and packaging facilities for export to China must be approved by both the MARD and the GACC. Banana farms must follow Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards while packaging facilities are required to build a origin tracing system to ensure food safety standards before export to China.

Vietnamese fresh bananas will be exported via all Chinese border gates approved by the GACC, Hoan said.

He added that the MARD will raise awareness of farmers and packaging facilities about requirements in the Protocol.

As of 2019, Vietnam was home to 129,550ha of bananas, nearly 35,300ha of which was in the Mekong Delta with an output of over 478,800 tonnes.

Over 430,000 tonnes of Vietnamese bananas under quarantine were shipped to China in 2020. The volume increased to 574,000 tonnes in 2021 and 591,000 tonnes in the first nine months of this year./.