Vietnam officially begins exporting its mangoes to the US market after 10 years of discussion. Photo: VEN

Vietnam as the 14th largest mango supplier to the US

The Import and Export Department under the MoIT reveals that the US imported a total of 2,100 tonnes of mangoes worth US$4.61 million from Vietnam last year, representing an increase of 66% in volume and 70.1% in value in comparison to 2019. These figures indicate that Vietnam has become the 14th largest mango supplier to the US market, according to VOV.

Statistics by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) show that the US spent US$916 million on importing 728,920 tonnes of mangoes last year, a rise of 11.5% in volume and 12% in value in comparison to 2019 with the average import price rising by 0.5% to US$1.26 per kilo.

Alongside fresh mangoes, the US also imported 1,150 tonnes of frozen mangoes in Vietnam last year, representing an increase of 38.16% compared to 2019.

Vietnamese mangoes were licensed to enter the US last year, one of the demanding markets in the world. Many businesses have so far shipped mangoes to the US but their exports remain modest.

Experts say that the US’s mango imports are anticipated to increase by 3% annually from now till 2025, opening up a chance for Vietnamese businesses to expand their shares in this market.

The US increases Vietnamese vegetable and fruit imports

According to statistics released by the General Department of Viet Nam Customs, the end of the second quarter of 2020 saw the country’s fruit and vegetable exports to the US enjoy a surge of 9.8% to US$77 million.

The US imported 302 tons of mango, guava, and mangosteen from Viet Nam worth US$850,000 during the opening five months of the year, representing a 1.8-fold increase on-year, said VGP.

Photo: Fresh Plaza

According to data compiled by the US International Trade Administration, in 2019, the US imported nearly 200,000 tons of fruits, worth nearly US$ 170.0 million, including tamarind, apple, cashews, jackfruit, high-quality lychee, sapodilla, passion fruit, star fruit, dragon fruit and other kinds of fruit, up 4.2% in volume but down 0.7% in value compared to the same period in 2018. The drop is attributed to the 4.7% fall of import prices (down to US$879 per tonne).

Fruits imported from the US to Vietnam grew 46% during the first 10 months last year to $97 million before Sunkist oranges were allowed to sell in the market, Benjamin Petlock, agriculture adviser of the U.S. Department of Agriculture told the launching ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City.

American fruit exported to Vietnam is expected to have a steady growth in 2020 thanks to the entry of Navel oranges from California and other types of fruits to be granted to enter the market of 100 million people.

Agricultural trade between the two countries is one of the most important areas of the US-Vietnam bilateral relationship, which has grown significantly over the past 25 years, he said, adding now Vietnamese consumers can enjoy fresh US oranges, in addition to the other fresh US fruits approved for import into Vietnam including apples, grapes, cherries, pears, and blueberries.