Berlin (VNA) – Vietnamese fruitshave been introduced at the Fruit Logistica, the world largest fruit andvegetable exhibition in the world, that is underway in Berlin from February8-10.

The Vietnamese booth at the exhibition,jointly organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) Trade PromotionAgency, the Vietnam Trade Office in Berlin and the Vietnam Fruit Association(Vinafruit), attracted a large number of visitors right in the first day of theevent. This is the third year that Vietnam has joined the exhibition.

On February 8, a trade exchange was heldbetween the Vietnamese enterprises with members of Germany’s FederalAssociation of Medium-Sized Enterprises (BVMW), German firms and Vietnamesecompanies in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.

Highlighting the increasing competitivenessof Vietnamese products’ competitiveness, Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany VuQuang Minh said he hopes the firms will optimise preferential tax rates fromfree trade agreements to boost exports of fruits and vegetables in thepromising German market.

He pledged that the Vietnamese Embassy andthe Vietnam Trade Office will give best support to Vietnamese firms inconnecting with their peers in Germany to strengthen exports to Germany and theEU in general, thus optimising the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

Meanwhile, Vinafruit Chairman Nguyen ThanhBinh said that the exhibition is a great chance for Vietnamese firms to expandtheir market.

Data from the MoIT showed that after theEVFTA took effect, Vietnam’s exports of fruits to Europe has risen 25-30%.

Tran Van Cong, Vietnamese Trade Councillorin Germany said that the EU has been an important and promising market with annualconsumption of over 110 billion USD worth of goods. However, Vietnam’s fruitexport revenue from the market is still modest at over 200 million USD,accounting for only 0.02% of the EU’s spending on the product.

Underlining that the EVFTA, which bringsimport tax of Vietnamese fruits to 0%, is offering great opportunities forVietnam in the EU, he noted that last year, exports of fruits to the EU rosenearly 14%.

Cong advised domestic firms to focus ondeveloping farming areas as well as preservation stage, ensuring thatVietnamese products are origin traceable, meeting requirements of the EU.

At the event, the Vinafruit and BVMW signeda memorandum of understanding on supporting businesses of both sides tostrengthen cooperation in fruit export and distribution in the German market./.