On the morning of November 28, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Agriculture Committee of Ben Tre Province in collaboration with Chanh Thu Fruit Import and Export Group Joint Stock Company (Cho Lach District, Ben Tre Province) held a public ceremony. The announcement of exporting the first batch of Vietnamese pomelos to the US market took place at the Ben Tre Provincial Committee Hall.
Attending the ceremony were former Politburo member, former National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan; Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Tran Thanh Nam; Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Ben Tre Provincial Party Committee Le Duc Tho; US Department of Agriculture Representative Sarah Gilleski; leaders of central ministries, leaders of People's Committees, Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development of provinces, cities, and enterprises.
At the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam shared: The US is the most difficult market, but the demand for importing fresh fruit is still very large. According to him, each year, this country consumes about 12 million tons of fruit, of which domestic production can only meet 70%, and the remaining 30% (equivalent to 3.6 million tons) must be imported.
Ms. Ngo Tuong Vy - General Director of Chanh Thu Fruit Import Export Group Joint Stock Company said: "This first batch of pomelos to the US includes more than 100 tons of pomelos transported by 6 containers, including 4 containers by air and 2 containers by sea. All the above fresh pomelos are grown in Ben Tre. Currently, Ben Tre has 14 area codes for growing pomelo, my company is associated with 6 cooperatives that grow this fruit."
This is good news for Vietnam's agricultural industry, after 6 years of negotiations, Ben Tre green-skinned pomelo is the 7th fruit of Vietnam allowed to be officially exported to the US market after mango, longan, lychee, dragon fruit, rambutan, and star apple. From now to the end of the year, it is expected that about 2,000 - 3,000 tons of fresh pomelo will be exported, 7,000 tons in 2023.
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According to US regulations on growing areas and processing facilities of fresh pomelos that meet export standards must be registered with the Plant Protection Department and the US Animal and Plant Health Quarantine (APHIS). Shipments of fresh pomelos for export need to be handled with strict procedures: irradiation treatment, phytosanitary certificates, etc.
To ensure quality and these strict standards, the Plant Protection Department has been coordinating with stakeholders to synchronously deploy solutions, focusing on training for pomelo producers and exporters of pomelos on US import requirements.
On the eve of the event "The ceremony to announce the export of the first batch of pomelos from Vietnam to the US market", on November 27, the delegation and guests visited the packaging facility and the model of growing green skin pomelos. high quality in Chau Thanh district and Cho Lach district.
Attending was the Deputy Director of the Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, Vice Chairman of Ben Tre Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Minh Canh, Institute of Agricultural and Postharvest Engineering and Technology, UNIDO Organization, Center for Postharvest Quarantine. Import, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ben Tre Province, and other units.
Chanh Thu Export-Import Group Joint Stock Company is honored to be the exporter of the first batch of Vietnamese pomelos to the US. The delegation visited the export pomelo packing factory that meets the standards for export to the US market - Cho Lach district, Ben Tre province.
We are proud to be one of the pioneering enterprises in supplying Vietnamese fruits to export to the international market. With the statement "Together We Make Vietnamese Fruit Brand", we have been working hard to create trust for Vietnamese fruits in markets such as the United States, Japan, Australia, Europe, Korea, etc.
Through the production announcement ceremony, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development expects units, organizations, individuals, and businesses that export pomelo to the US to quickly deploy and comply with Vietnam's regulations and requirements. The demand of the importing country to jointly coordinate and promote to bring high economic value to all parties.