SEOUL: Korean exports of pears and apples to Vietnam have soared in the past years, according to the Korea Agriculture Food Trade Association.
Korea’s pear exports to Vietnam surged by around 95 times in the 2011-16 period, from US$52,000 in 2011 to $4.96 million last year. Its apple exports to Vietnam also went up by 928.8 per cent in the period, from $66,000 to $679,000. Speaking on the sidelines of a seminar in HCM City on Friday, Cao Thị Quỳnh Giao, director of Lâm Khải Hoàn Co.Ltd, said her company imports about two to five containers (each container having a loading capacity of 600kg) of pears and apples from South Korea to distribute to supermarkets in Vietnam.
“Many Vietnamese consumers are fond of Korea’s pears due to its good quality and reasonable prices,” she said.
Her company plans to import more pears and Fuji apples from Korea, kiwi from Australia and gala apple from the US, she said.
Lee Sun Hyung from Gyeong Buk Corporation, said “Vietnam is an emerging market for Korea’s fruits”.
Many Korean companies as well as his company have prepared high-grade pear and apple gift boxes with nice design, hoping that the products will be consumed well in Vietnam in the future, he said.
Vietnam imported vegetables and fruits worth $1.02 billion in the first eight months of 2017, a year-on-year increase of 94 per cent. Of which, the import value of vegetables was around $200 million, while fruits imports were more than $800 million, double the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.