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

Thus, after dragon fruit and mango, grapefruit is the third fresh fruit from Vietnam allowed to be imported into Korea. According to the Plant Protection Department, the permission for Vietnamese grapefruit 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.

The Plant Protection Department said that since 2018, the Department 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.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the first half of 2024, fruit and vegetable exports will continue to be favorable thanks to increased orders from many major markets, such as China, South Korea, and the US, bringing in revenue of approximately 3.5 billion USD. Of which, South Korea is the second largest export market for Vietnamese fruits and vegetables, with exports to South Korea reaching 180 million USD in the past 6 months, an increase of 57.9% over the same period in 2023.

Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said that along with the US, the Northeast Asia region is still a very potential market for Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports, notably countries such as China, Korea, and Japan.

Currently, the whole country 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...