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Vietnamese farmers and exporters could end up in major loss as Chinese buyers have stopped purchasing Vietnamese dragon fruit.
According to industry sources, some 300,000 tonnes of dragon fruit will be ready for harvest shortly, but there will be no customers since China has clamped down its cross-border trading. This has led to a decrease in dragon fruit prices in recent weeks. With the northern provinces of Quang Ninh and Lang Son having both restricted trade at the border with China due to containers pilling up, many Chinese buyers have stopped purchasing Vietnamese dragon fruit, Phan Van Tan, deputy director of Binh Thuan's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, told a forum Thursday, reported VnExpress. Every year, roughly 1.4 million tonnes of dragon fruit are produced in Vietnam. The three provinces of Binh Thuan, Long An, and Tien Giang account for 80 per cent of the total but this time the farmers and exporters are troubled as they have no buyers. Some exporters have stated that they have attempted to move items by sea, but that this is not a viable option because shipping costs have increased threefold since last year. Dragon fruit exports to China exceed that of 50 other markets, said Nguyen Khac Huy, CEO of Hoang Phat Fruit in Long An Province, reported VnExpress. Notably, China has been the biggest buyer of Vietnamese agricultural produce and dragon fruit for years. (ANI)
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