Exports of purple onions are facing many difficulties due to declining purchasing power, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Vietnam exported 240 tons of purple onions in the first two months of 2023 while total output was 200,000 tons.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Thanh Nam told a conference on March 17 in the Mekong Delta’s Soc Trang province discussing measures to boost the consumption of purple onions that it is considered an advantageous product in localities such as Hai Duong, Soc Trang, Ninh Thuan, and Quang Ngai, with average output of 200,000 tons a year.
The total growing area around the country is 14,000-15,000 ha.
March is onion harvesting time. However, falling purchasing power has caused difficulties in the consumption of the product, he said.
China is the largest importer of onions, chives, and garlic from Vietnam, with total revenue of over $17 million in 2022, followed by Taiwan (China), India, the US, Japan, and Myanmar.
Participants at the conference suggested that businesses and authorities in localities adopt measures to help boost consumption of purple onions and other farm produce and to invest in building processing and preservation systems for such products, to move away from only fresh products.
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