Importing 1.2 billion EUR (1.31 billion USD) worth of fruits every year, Austria is a promising market for Vietnam, authorities held.

It is one of the first western countries to set up diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1972. In 2021, two-way trade reached 3.35 billion USD, up 5.55% year on year. Last year, due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the figure dropped 16.7% to 2.79 billion USD.

According to the Vietnam Trade Office in Austria, Vietnam exported 6.8 million EUR worth of fruits to Austria last year, accounting for 0.5% of the country’s total fruit imports.

It said that due to short expiry period, it is difficult to export Vietnamese fresh fruits to Austria with a large quantity. Meanwhile, Vietnam has seen fierce competition from many countries like Thailand, China, and Cambodia.

The office recently supported the sale of Vietnamese fresh litchi at Asian shops in the European country, while working to bring more fruits to supermarkets in the country, and coordinating with businesses to popularise Vietnamese fruits to local consumers.

It advised exporters to show more documents proving the quality, food safety and origin of their products to gain outstanding advantages.

The office underlined the need for exporters to satisfy all requirements in environment and food safety, while seeking best preservation and transport solutions to ensure the freshness of exported fruits.

VNA