Up to 90,000 tonnes of fresh Vietnamese durian will be put for sale at Chinese retail supermarkets by import partners in the near future, according to a contract signed on November 14 between Vina T&T Group and Sunwah Group of Hong Kong’s (China).
Nguyen Dinh Tung, chairman of Vina T&T Group, revealed that under the deal Vietnam will send 4,500 containers, equivalent to 90,000 tonnes of durian, to the northern neighbour each year.
Furthermore, the two groups will work together in order to build a durian growing area in order to meet the import requirements via official channels set by Chinese importers.
Both sides will put the same brand on the package, a factor which is anticipated to introduce Vietnamese durian brand to Chinese consumers moving forward, said the executive.
Jesse Choi, regional director of Sunwah Southeast Asia, that boasts strengths in importing and exporting agricultural products, as well as a retail distribution channel in China, said that the overall quality of Vietnamese durian has improved over recent years, and that there remains plenty of room to boost the export of the fruit to the Chinese market.
To further promote exports, the two sides will co-operate to train farmers in the process of farming and harvesting in a bid to ensure quality standards are maintained, said Choi.
Sunwah will also send a technical team to assist Vina T&T in packaging and preservation techniques to ensure quality, as well as further improving the supply chain of Vietnamese agricultural products to China.
Le Viet Binh, an official of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), said that in order to compete with similar products from Thailand and Malaysia, Vietnamese businesses must comply with market regulations in order to maintain the reputation of the product and at the same time expand markets.
VOV
