Vietnam fruit sector sees export boost amid domestic price slump

Vietnam is positioning its banana industry for a $1 billion export target, up from the current $380 million, with the country already ranked ninth worldwide in production. The Ministry of Agriculture’s fruit development plan highlights bananas as a key export crop, while companies such as Unifarm expand large‑scale farms, develop disease‑resistant varieties like the UNI 126 clone and adopt IoT‑driven farming techniques to improve quality and competitiveness.

At the same time, domestic fruit markets are facing a sharp price decline of 10‑50% across mangoes, durians, avocados and other varieties. The drop follows a rapid surge in supply as expanded planting between 2022‑2024 reaches harvest, outpacing local demand. Export shipments remain strong, generating nearly $2.8 billion in revenue this year, a 20% increase, while imports of fruit and vegetables have risen 31% to about $1.3 billion, led by China. The oversupply has lowered retail prices but not affected export earnings.