On July 30, 2024, after 3 months of widely consulting with relevant parties, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Service of Korea (APQA) officially announced on the APQA website the import regulations for fresh grapefruit from Vietnam to Korea.

Vietnamese grapefruit officially granted visa to enter Korean market (illustrative photo)

Since 2018, the Plant Protection Department (PPD) (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) has initiated a program to open the market for Vietnamese grapefruit exported to Korea. However, the negotiation process only really accelerated after the Covid-19 pandemic.

After 2 years of efforts, active coordination, and information exchange to promote the process of conducting pest risk analysis and going through many rounds of negotiations, the Plant Protection Department and the Korean Animal and Plant Quarantine Service reached a technical agreement in a bilateral meeting in April 2024.

At the same time, on July 18, 2024, the Plant Protection Department also posted on its website a draft of requirements on plant quarantine and food safety for fresh grapefruit imported from Vietnam into Korea so that interested organizations and individuals can learn and have information about these regulations in advance.

Thus, grapefruit is the third fresh fruit from Vietnam to be allowed to be imported into Korea, along with dragon fruit and mango. The fact that Vietnamese grapefruit is allowed to be imported into Korea is an important step, opening up great opportunities for Vietnamese agricultural products to access the international market, while affirming the quality and reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products in the world market.

Grapefruit is one of 14 key fruit groups according to the Fruit Tree Development Project oriented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The country currently has more than 100,000 hectares of grapefruit, with an output of more than 900,000 tons. The Mekong Delta alone accounts for about 32,000 hectares, with an output of about 370,000 tons, and is considered a key production area.

Provinces with large grapefruit areas are Ben Tre (over 8,800 hectares), Vinh Long (over 8,600 hectares), Dong Nai (over 5,400 hectares). Famous grapefruit varieties with great export potential include green-skin grapefruit, Nam Roi grapefruit, Tan Trieu grapefruit...

Before Korea, some major markets such as the United States and New Zealand also licensed fresh Vietnamese grapefruit. Currently, Vietnamese grapefruit is officially exported to 13 countries and territories. It is forecasted that by 2025, this number will increase to 14, with the participation of Australia.

According to statistics from the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, along with durian, grapefruit is a fruit product with high value increase from the beginning of 2023 to present.

With a population of 50 million, South Korea is a very potential market for Vietnamese grapefruit. The Plant Protection Department recommends that relevant parties carefully study the requirements for plant quarantine for fresh grapefruit imported into South Korea and promptly implement trade promotion activities and export grapefruit to this Northeast Asian country.