HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s passion fruits are moving closer to gaining certification to enter the US market after the two countries reached an agreement on technical requirements.

This was a highlight of the working session between Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoàng Trung and the US Acting Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural, Jason Hafemeister earlier this week.

The event was held as part of the visit by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to the US to accelerate market openings for potential fruits from Việt Nam and enhance bilateral cooperation in plant protection, sustainable agricultural production and emission reduction.

Technical requirements for Việt Nam’s passion fruits were agreed and the process will now move to the next step of implementing legal procedures for the official importation of passion fruits from Việt Nam.

The two countries also initiated consideration for new fruits from Việt Nam, including seedless lemons, guavas and jackfruits, and moved one step closer for tangerines, plums, lemons and pomegranates from the US.

An agreement was also reached to enhance cooperation in developing green agriculture, protecting the environment and ensuring global food safety as well as supporting each other in implementing global initiatives about smart, climate-change-adaptative and environmentally friendly agriculture.

Efforts will also be increased to facilitate bilateral trade.

The US is currently the largest export market of Việt Nam’s agro-forestry-fishery products with a value of US10.96 billion in 2023, accounting for 20.7 per cent of Việt Nam’s total agro-forestry-fishery exports.

Currently, eight types of fruits from Việt Nam are being officially exported to the US, dragon fruit, mango, longan, lychee, rambutan, star apple, pomelo and coconut. — VNS