Vietnamese fruit and vegetables have great opportunities to enter Japan

Red dragon fruit is among Vietnamese fruits exported to Japan (illustrative image)

The Japanese agricultural sector is facing difficulties due to an aging population and the disregard of the youth in terms of the industry, creating tremendous opportunities for Vietnamese exporters to promote the exports of fruit and vegetables to the market.

Vietnamese fruit and vegetables exported to Japan have seen strong growth over the past few years but still occupy a small proportion of Japan's total import revenue of fruit and vegetables.

The statistics released by the General Department of Customs show that Japan was among the top importers of Vietnamese fruit and vegetables in the first half of this year, following China and the US.

The Japanese customs agency said that Japan saw sharp increases in both the volume and value of fruit and drupes imported from Vietnam in the first quarter of this year.

"Vegetables exported to Japan must have Global GAP certification. Enterprises are required to apply high technology with high costs in order to produce good quality products. If enterprises fail to comply with the demanding requirements, exporters will run high risks. Conversely, if they do well, they will have great opportunities to expand the market," said Le Van Cuong, director of Da Lat Gap Co.,Ltd.

According to the Import-Export Department, under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam has exported red dragon fruit, mangoes, lychees, perilla leaves, parsley, and others to the Japanese market.

It is forecast that Japan's import and consumption demand for fruit and vegetables will continue to grow in the future, thus, Vietnamese firms should seize the opportunity to boost their exports to the market.

Besides meeting the demanding requirements of food quarantine and safety, the freight of Vietnamese fruit and vegetables must be reduced to increase their competitiveness, said Tran Thanh Hai, deputy director of the Import-Export Department.

In addition, the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association suggested strengthening the inspection of the quality of agricultural products, in addition to limiting the use of inorganic fertilisers and plant protection chemicals, to maintain the sustainable exports to the Japanese market.