VietNamNet Bridge - The country plans to earn $1 billion from vegetable, flower and fruit export by 2015, according to the Trade Ministry.

The target was announced at a workshop on production and exports of fresh vegetables, flowers and fruits held in Hanoi on Mar. 15 by the ministry.

Trade Deputy Minister Tran Duc Minh said that his ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have joined efforts to boost production and exports of these products for many years. However, export turnover was still small, estimated at about $280 million in 2006.

The country's products were exported mainly in canned and dried goods, a very small volume was raw or frozen. Viet Nam's traditional markets were China, Taiwan, Japan and Singapore.

According to the senior official, the key point of the national programme on the exports of vegetables, flowers and fruits was choosing an effective model for production and exports as well as solving major outstanding problems to reach export targets.

The Trade Ministry plans to coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to hold bilateral talks with the US, the EU, Japan and Singapore to sign agreements on animal and plant quarantine and recognise quality of vegetables, flowers, fruits and other foods to facilitate the export of those products.

(Source: VNA)