Vietnam expects produce exports to rise

Ho Chi Minh , Vietnam -- Exports of fruits, vegetables and flowers from Vietnam are expected to reach $1 billion per year by 2015, the government said Friday.

To do so would require an annual growth rate of 15-29 percent, Vietnam News reported. The country currently exports $300 million in fruits, vegetables and flowers.

The Vietnam Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has been training farmers to increase production and develop business skills. It is also building warehouses to modern, industrial standards, the report said.

Most farms in Vietnam are still small, averaging 300 square meters in vegetable production and 1,000 square meters in fruits, the report said.

Their biggest export customer is China with 60 percent of the export business.

Taiwan, Russia, the United States and Japan are also critical markets, the report said.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.