6-month agriculture exports near last year’s total

In this month alone, the increase was 79% to $723 million, thanks to large contribution of durian and dragon fruit, according to the Vietnam Fruits & Vegetables Association (Vinafruit).

As June has not ended, more exports value is set to be recorded in the upcoming days and the six-month figure could reach $3 billion, compared to $3.16 billion total last year, said Dang Phuc Nguyen, Vinafruit general secretary.

This means exports in 2023 can reach a new historic record of $4 billion, he said.

"Vietnamese fruits are becoming more popular in the international market, especially in China," he added.

China accounted for nearly 63.5% of Vietnam’s exports in the first five months with a purchase value $1.3 billion, up 12.4% year-on-year.

Strong growth was also recorded in South Korea, Japan and the Netherlands.

Exports to the U.S., however, fell 12% year-on-year.

Durian exports in the first five months surged 18 times year-on-year to over $503 million after Vietnam was approved to export fresh durian to China last year.