Fruit and vegetable exports increase
Ha Noi, March 24 (VNA) -- Viet Nam will strive to earn USD 1.85 billion from the export of fruit and vegetables in 2010, a yearly increase of 20.4 percent or nine times higher than 2000.
To reach the goal, an amount of USD 1,149 million will be invested in the fruit-and-vegetable sector during the next decade.
Of this, USD 770 million will be spent on production, USD 125 million on packaging and preservation, and USD 60 million on nurseries, species, training, research and price subsidy.
The Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry will undertake measures, seek and expand consumption, provide preferential policies for exports and investment for advanced production lines and raise the quality of fruit and vegetable exports.
The ministry has proposed that the Government set up an international standard system for fruit and vegetable quality control and introduce proper policies for the research of new species.
Last year, Viet Nam's fruit and vegetable export turnover totalled USD 205 million.
However, Viet Nam's fruit and vegetables are expensive on the world market because of the high cost of production, manual harvest and backward processing and preserving. As a result, Viet Nam's after-harvest losses is about 20-25 percent besides low quality.--VNA
