The Vietnamese Trade Office in Singapore said: Lychee and longan are two typical tropical fruits of Vietnam. Their amazing tastes have conquered many difficult markets in the world.
In ASEAN, Singapore is an upper-middle-income market with a demand for high-quality fresh fruits. In particular, if Vietnamese lychee and longan meet Singapore’s import requirements, they will have the opportunity to access this potential market deeply.
According to the Singapore Enterprise Management Agency, in 2022, Singapore imported fresh lychee (HS code: 08109020) with a turnover of 6.78 million SGD and fresh longan (HS code: 08109010) with a turnover of more than 4.6 million SGD.
Singapore is an attractive market for Vietnam’s lychee and longan.
Among the top 7 largest exporters of fresh lychee to the Singapore market, China is the leading country with a turnover of 5.8 million SGD in 2022, accounting for 85.8% of the market share. Followed is Australia (720,000 SGD), South Africa (52,000 SGD), Vietnam (43,000 SGD), and Thailand (24,000 SGD).
Regarding fresh longan, Thailand ranked first with an almost absolute turnover of nearly 4.2 million SGD in 2022, accounting for 98.38% of the market share. Next is Malaysia (64,000 SGD), Vietnam (4,000 SGD), and China (1,000 SGD).
In terms of quality and model, Vietnamese lychee and longan have thin and nice skin, sweeter than other competitors. Currently, our lychee and longan have been exported to many markets with high requirements such as Japan, Korea, Australia, etc. Therefore, with such a brand and potential, Vietnamese lychee and longan have plenty of room to develop in Singapore.
However, Singapore is a strict market, posing many requirements for imported fresh fruit . Accordingly, fresh fruits imported to Singapore must meet the conditions set by the Food Regulatory Authority of Singapore.
According to Singapore’s Plant Control Regulations, imported fresh fruits must satisfy the following prerequisites for pesticide/chemical residues:
Notably, the product does not contain/have residues of any prohibited pesticides; residues of pesticides or toxic chemicals must comply with Singapore’s requirements. Particularly for fresh lychee and longan, the residual content of sulfur dioxide is not more than 50 ppm.
Lychees branded Thanh Ha, Hai Duong province, Vietnam.
In addition, the product label must accurately and fully state the full name and address of the manufacturer, product description, and date of export/packaging. Information on the label must be written in English (The addition of another language is an advantage).
Following the direction of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in recent years, the Vietnam Trade Office in Singapore has carried out many activities to promote the export of key products of Vietnam.
In particular, the Trade Office pays special attention to promoting seasonal fresh fruits such as lychee and longan through the Vietnam Goods Week program in Singapore, connecting trade between businesses, connecting businesses with distribution system, and inviting customers to try fresh Vietnamese lychee at events. Thanks to these activities, fresh lychee has achieved good export turnover growth.
In the coming time, the Vietnam Trade Office in Singapore and related units are ready to support localities and businesses to promote the export of fresh lychee and longan to Singapore.
Therefore, businesses wishing to find information about exporting to this market can contact the Vietnam Trade Office in Singapore for advice, support, and connection with reputable fresh fruit importers./.