Opportunities for Dong Nai to expand fruit and vegetable exports

Currently, global demand for agricultural products is rising, particularly for tropical fruits and vegetables. Against this backdrop, Dong Nai is facing significant opportunities to expand its export markets. The province has nearly 99,500 hectares of fruit-growing area, with an annual output exceeding 1.6 million tonnes. Moreover, it has developed large-scale specialized farming zones that apply high technology, meeting export standards for demanding markets such as Europe, the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.

Dong Nai is one of the key fruit production hubs in Southern Vietnam. Key export fruits include bananas, durians, dragon fruit, jackfruit, and pomelo.

In addition, the province boasts several other fruits considered specialties by businesses and with strong export potential, such as mango, rambutan, and mandarin. Notably, farmers have gradually shifted toward concentrated, large-scale production closely aligned with export market requirements. This transition highlights that Dong Nai’s agriculture is moving beyond smallholder farming toward a more commercialized, large-scale production model.

A notable highlight is the development and issuance of planting area codes, often regarded as a “passport” for agricultural exports. The province currently has 194 planting area codes covering approximately 14,000 hectares, along with 82 export-standard packing facilities serving markets including China, the United States, Europe, and Australia. This feature provides a crucial foundation for Dong Nai’s agricultural products to integrate more deeply into global supply chains.

In recent years, Dong Nai has consistently ranked among the country’s leading localities in accessing international markets for agro-forestry exports. The development of cultivation areas in line with export standards, coupled with quality control and traceability, indicates that the province is aligning itself with the “rules of the game” in global trade. This feature is a decisive factor enabling its agricultural products to maintain their foothold and expand market share abroad.

However, opportunities inevitably come with challenges, as importing markets are tightening food safety standards and increasingly requiring green, circular, and sustainable production processes. Therefore, achieving sustainable export growth requires stronger linkages among the five stakeholders, including farmers, businesses, scientists, the State, and banks, to ensure product quality from farm to table.

Another issue that warrants attention is that although Vietnam’s fruit and vegetable exports, including those from Dong Nai, have maintained strong growth, they remain heavily dependent on a limited number of markets. In addition, export volumes still account for a relatively small share of total production. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has repeatedly recommended that localities diversify export markets to boost output and mitigate risks when certain markets face difficulties.

To fully capitalize on these opportunities, Dong Nai needs to further improve its agricultural value chains, spanning production, processing, preservation, and logistics. In particular, greater investment in post-harvest technology and deep processing capacity will help ease reliance on fresh exports while adding value to products. Meanwhile, enterprises should play a stronger role in leading the market and strengthening linkages with farmers. The province also needs to attract key “anchor” investors in agricultural processing and exports to build competitive supply chains that meet international standards.

Recently, several international wholesale and retail groups have come to Ho Chi Minh City to seek suppliers of agricultural and industrial products from southern provinces and cities for distribution through their store networks, supermarkets, and shopping centers. This occasion offers Dong Nai-based enterprises an opportunity to connect with partners to export fresh and processed fruits and vegetables. If it can export larger volumes of fruits and vegetables, Dong Nai could earn up to a billion USD a year.

By Khanh Minh – Translated by M.Nguyet, Minho