Chinese green kiwi is being sold at VND20,000 (US$0.79) per kilogram onwards by wholesalers in Vietnam, a third of the prices of imports from Australia and New Zealand.
Australian and New Zealand wholesale prices start at VND60,000 and go up to VND120,000. But the VND20,000 price is unusually low for a fruit considered an upmarket item in Vietnam.
Thanh Hoa, a fruit wholesaler in HCMC, said these are the lowest prices in years. “I import thousands of boxes at a time to get the best prices.”
Retailers are selling the fruit at VND50,000-80,000 per kilogram. In China, green kiwi is primarily grown in provinces with a temperate climate such as Sichuan, Shaanxi and Henan.
Thanks to advanced breeding technologies and large scale of production, China is able to produce large quantities of the fruit and maintain low prices.
Vietnamese importers say Chinese kiwi is able to enter Vietnam at current rates because logistic costs have been optimized.
Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruits & Vegetables Association, said China has acquired kiwi varieties from other countries and breeds them with low labor costs.
Vietnam’s imports of Chinese agriculture produce in the first 10 months were worth $800 million, a 24% increase year-on-year, according to the customs department. The main fruits it imported were apple, grape, persimmon, and kiwi.
