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First containers of dragon fruit to be exported to the US
The Vietnam fruit association (Vinafruit) on August 15 announced that it is preparing to export the first two containers of dragon fruit to the US in late August or early September.
According to Nguyen Huu Thu, an official from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of south-eastern Binh Thuan province, which has the largest area under dragon fruit cultivation, the US has accepted the import of safe dragon fruit from Vietnam and the EurepGap Ham Minh Co-operative was chosen as the only supplier.
Nguyen Thuan, chairman of the Ham Minh co-operative, says that in 2006 a delegation from the US Department of Agriculture visited the cooperative and the US Animal and Plant Health Quarantine Agency also visited the cooperative three times to examine the production and packaging processes.
Currently, Binh Thuan has more than 10,000 ha of dragon fruit with an annual output of nearly 200,000 tonnes. Recently, Japan began buying Vietnamese dragon fruit again. Some businesses in Osaka have proposed introducing Binh Thuan's dragon fruit to Japanese customers.
VOV
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