The General Department of Customs China (GACC) has signed a protocol allowing the official import of sweet potatoes and salangane nests from Vietnam into the neighbouring country.

The move comes after the Vietnamese Embassy in China has received a protocol on November 9 signed by the Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the GACC regarding phytosanitary requirements for Vietnam's salangane and sweet potato exports to Chinese market.

Accordingly, since the beginning of the year, the MARD and the Vietnamese Embassy in China have intensified numerous activities to accelerate the export of Vietnamese agricultural products to China.

Up to now, both sides have finalized the opening of the market for durian and are conducting a pilot export of passion fruit to the Chinese market.

Most recently, China signed a protocol on phytosanitary requirements for fresh bananas, thereby creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese fresh bananas to be officially exported to the northern neighbour market.

According to information from the MARD’s Plant Protection Department, sweet potato and salangane nests will be Vietnam’s 12th and 13th agricultural products to be officially exported to the Chinese market.

Earlier, 11 local fresh fruit have entered the market including dragon fruit, longan, rambutan, mango, jackfruit, watermelon, banana, mangosteen, lychee and durian.

With regard to passion fruit, the GACC has agreed upon the pilot import of Vietnamese passion fruit starting in July via China's Guangxi border gate.

After sweet potatoes and salangane nests, the Plant Protection Department will continue speeding up the procedures regarding the export of fresh pomelos and coconuts to the Chinese market in the time ahead.

Source: VOV