Vietnamese coconuts near China market access, sparking Thai concerns over durian-like scenario

Fresh coconuts are set to soon become one of Vietnam’s next fruit items permissible for import into China. Negotiations on the phytosanitary protocol are already complete and the formal agreement is expected to be signed by the two sides shortly, as agreed during a recent meeting between representatives of the General Administration of Customs of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam. Meanwhile, the GACC has released an updated list of fruit items eligible to be imported into China, which included coconuts from Vietnam alongside the remark “trial imports.” Coconuts are mainly grown in the coastal provinces of central Vietnam and the Mekong Delta, with a total planted area of nearly 200,000 hectares and an annual production of approximately 2 million metric tons. Vietnam is the world’s seventh-largest producer of coconuts and exports the fruit to 90 countries and regions, with Europe, the United States, the Middle East, Japan and South Korea being ...