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EUROPE: Protential market for Vietnamese agricultural products
TTO - Last month, Dong Thap exported the first batch of 3 tons of Cao Lanh mangoes to the European Union (EU) market. Although the quantity is still modest, it is still a good sign for domestic agricultural products.
Tropical fruits including lychees, dragon fruit from Vietnam are displayed in Denmark
For suppliers from outside Europe, the fact that the product is accepted by the EU market is also a guarantee of quality and safety.
Imports continue to increase
Europe's population is just over 500 million, but each year imports more than 60 billion euros of fresh fruit and vegetables, or 44% of the global trade value of this market. Europe also accounts for 5 of the 10 countries that import the most fresh fruits and vegetables in the world.
The European market, especially the countries of the EU, has the advantage that all procedures are clear and clear, but is famous for being difficult with very strict regulations on food safety.
It is noteworthy that although Europe in general and the EU in particular have common regulations on food safety, some countries such as the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, and Denmark apply stricter standards. general regulations, such as maximum residue limits (MRL) of pesticides.
People here attach great importance to nutrition and physical activity. A healthy diet, reducing fat, and increasing vegetables in meals is becoming more and more popular, thereby causing the consumption of vegetables to increase.
In 2020, despite being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the amount of imported fresh fruit will continue to increase, especially those rich in vitamins such as oranges, tangerines, avocados and blueberries.
Developing countries outside the European region, having the advantage of agro-climate, can provide off-season vegetables and fruits to the people of the old continent.
According to Eurostat (the EU's statistical agency), of the countries that export fruit and vegetables to Europe, 70 are developing.
The Netherlands Imports Development Organization (CBI) said that the total value of fruit and vegetables imported from developing countries into Europe has increased by 38% over the past five years (2016-2020).
The countries that import the most tropical fruits and vegetables in Europe are the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, and France. The Netherlands alone re-exports 80% to other countries.
In 2020, Germany imported 12.4 billion euros of fresh fruit and vegetables, accounting for more than 20% of the total value of the whole of Europe. Of the 3.5 billion euros in fruit and vegetables that Germany imports from outside Europe, developing countries account for 2.9 billion euros.
France imports 2 billion euros of fruit and 0.7 billion euros of vegetables, mostly from North African countries. The UK also imports about 48% of its fresh fruit and vegetables from outside Europe.
The impact of climate change in Europe, including a frost in the spring of 2021, has severely damaged grape crops in France, peaches and apricots in Southern Europe, thereby increasing import demand. .
Market Trends
Countries in western and northern Europe, especially Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden and Denmark - are major markets for high-value vegetables and organic vegetables, with Germany alone accounting for 29 % of total organic fruit and vegetable sales in the EU.
Southern European countries are European vegetable gardens, so they consume more fruit than average, and at the same time pay attention to the taste of imported fruits.
Meanwhile, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have lower average incomes than other regions, so they give preference to competitively priced agricultural products and local products. Therefore, the purchasing power of imported fruits and vegetables here is still low.
In recent years, the consumption of tropical and semi-tropical fruits has increased rapidly, especially in northern and western Europe. Not only foreigners, immigrants but also natives love imported fruits.
In addition to familiar varieties such as bananas (imported nearly 1 million tons/year), avocados, mangoes, pineapples, papayas, pomegranates, and dates, many supermarkets also have rare and strange fruits such as litchi, coconut fruit. , persimmon, rambutan, dragon fruit, star fruit, passion fruit, sapoche, lantern fruit (also known as venison fruit)...
Dragon fruit, star fruit, pomegranate, and lantern fruit look beautiful, so they are very popular on festive occasions such as Christmas, New Year, and Easter.
Restaurants also like to use fruit to decorate dishes. Pomegranate, star fruit, passion fruit, litchi, kumquat (kumquat) are also recognized as very good for health as pomegranate contains vitamins A, C, E, K and minerals such as calcium, potassium, iron.
In 2019, the value of lychee, passion fruit, star fruit and dragon fruit imported to Europe increased by 40% compared to 2016, up to 142 million euros.
The countries supplying the most tropical fruits to the European market today are Turkey, Spain, Tunisia, Peru, Colombia, South Africa, Guatemala and Thailand. China is a major supplier of vegetables such as garlic and onions, now with sweet potatoes and canned beans. Dragon fruit, passion fruit, star fruit in the European market mainly originate from Malaysia and Thailand.
France prefers Madagascar and Vietnamese lychees. Vietnamese cashews are also known more in Europe. Ben Tre's fresh coconut water and organic coconut milk have now entered Nordic supermarkets, competing with products from Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Ecuador.
