Insiders say the UK is a potential market for Vietnamese durian

TT Meridian, a firm that specializes in the distribution of Vietnamese agricultural products in the European countries, has spent many years researching the fruits of Vietnam that have the potential and advantages for sale to the UK market. As a result, the company sees promising futures for the export of durian to this market.

In light of the fact that high inflation is making price a top concern for importers, distributors, and consumers in the UK, Thai Tran, Managing Director of TT Meridian, stated that due to the preferential tax of zero under the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), durian import from Vietnam has a significant price advantage over those from other countries, which are currently subject to an 8% tax rate.

He claims that the UK market has a wide range of customer demographics and that Vietnamese durian can target both Asian consumers and producers and processors of durian-based items including ice cream, yogurt, and smoothies. This Vietnamese fruit has chances to reach UK consumers and distributors thanks to the current price advantage.

He also identified a number of obstacles that Vietnamese durian must overcome in order to survive in this cutthroat industry.

The process for obtaining a certificate of origin for shipments from the Vietnamese authorities is one of the challenges faced by durian exporters. Because firms must directly apply for a paper certificate of origin, the process currently requires a lot of time, labor, and money in order to benefit from tax incentives under the UKVFTA.

The issuance of the electronic certificate through online transactions was his suggestion as a result.

Nguyen Canh Tuong, a Vietnamese trade representative in the UK, expressed a similar opinion and suggested that state management agencies assist businesses by reducing the length of quarantine and the time it takes to issue a certificate of origin in order to ensure that the entire process of bringing fruits from the place of harvest to the laboratory, to the border gate, and through customs clearance within half a day is ensured so that they can be boarded on flights the same day.

Source: Vietnamplus