The design and quality are highly appreciated, and the prices are getting cheaper and cheaper, so fruits from the US, China, Australia and Thailand are consumed more in Vietnam.
A survey by VnExpress showed that the amount of imported fruit to markets, supermarkets and stores increased sharply. Products from the US, China, Thailand, Australia are quite competitive and much lower than the same period last year.
Oanh's shop on Thong Nhat Street (Go Vap), does not specialize in imported fruits, but two-thirds of the products here are sourced from Thailand, the US, China and Australia.
"Compared to before, grapes, apples and tangerines from the US and Australia have decreased by 40%. In particular, these products' quality is improving and the prices are not too high compared to Vietnamese products, so they are popular with customers," she said. Oanh said.
Ms. Hoa, a small trader in Ba Chieu market (Binh Thanh), added that mangosteen, bonbon, mango, tamarind... of Thailand are in season, of good quality, so they are imported to Vietnam a lot. "These fruits are easy to store and have uniform sizes, customers love them. Every day I import a ton of weights, it's still not enough to sell," Ms. Hoa informed.
In the past two months, the amount of fruit at Ms. Hoai's shop (Cau Giay district) has doubled in quantity over the same period, but it is not enough to sell. "Each kilogram of apples imported from South Africa costs 49,000 VND per kilogram, mangosteen, Thai bonbon 40,000-60,000 VND. The price is cheap, so consumption has increased sharply," Ms. Hoai confided.
A representative of Binh Thuan Vegetable and Fruit Joint Stock Company also said that the price of imported fruits into Vietnam is quite soft despite the high cost of transportation. "The number of imported fruits of the company in the past six months has increased sharply compared to the same period last year," he said.
Representatives of wholesale markets in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City all recognized that the amount of fruit from China, the US, Australia and Thailand to Vietnam is very abundant. "Besides apples, grapes, peaches and Chinese plums, which are in season, the number of goods arriving at the market will increase next month," a representative of Thu Duc wholesale market forecast.
Besides fruits from the above countries, recently Cambodia, India and Laos have also massively entered Vietnam. Acacia mango and Cambodian durian are very attractive to Vietnamese consumers because of their beautiful design and good quality.
The report of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association showed that in 6 months, fruit exports reached more than USD 886 million, up 28.2% over the same period last year. In particular, in the first 5 months of the year, fruit imports from China, New Zealand, Cambodia, South Africa, and South Korea all increased at 3-digit rates. The South African market alone has a growth rate of nearly 190%.
While the import of fruit increased sharply, the export of this item to other markets decreased by 18.9% over the same period last year, reaching only 1.6 billion USD.
Domestically, summer fruits such as mangosteen, durian, jackfruit, lychee, avocado... simultaneously reduced prices by 10-15% compared to the same period in 2021.
The reason, according to traders, is abundant supply, while exports have fallen sharply. Besides, the high price of gasoline and other goods made consumers tighten their spending, so purchasing power was weak.