US to import Vietnamese mangoes

A farmer harvesting mango in An Giang, Vietnam. Photo acquired by VnExpress

Vietnam wants major market to buy other fruits including grapefruit.

The United States is completing procedures to approve import of Vietnamese mangoes, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Stephen Censky said at a meeting in Washington D.C. on Tueday.

The U.S. will also start importing star apples form Vietnam soon, Censky told Vietnamese Deputy Minister Vuong Dinh Hue, who is on an official visit to the U.S.

Censky proposed that Vietnam considers importing fruits like blueberry and several citrus varieties from the U.S.

At the meeting, Hue said that the U.S., as one of Vietnam’s top trade partners, should increase its agriculture cooperation with Vietnam towards supporting low emission production models.

He also suggested that the U.S. considers importing grapefruit and other fruits from Vietnam.

Vietnam’s exports to the U.S. last year reached $41.61 billion, an increase of 8.2 percent in over 2016. Fruit exports of $102 million accounted for just 0.2 percent of total export to the U.S., according to Vietnam Customs.

The U.S. was Vietnam’s third largest trade partner last year, behind Korea in second place and China at the top.