Philippines claims banana market

Bananas imported from the Philippines are becoming popular in Viet Nam and dominating supermarket shelves reportedly due to their attractive appearance.

The fruits are imported through northern ports and transported to HCM City by container trucks, traders said.

Vinh, an importer, said Philippine bananas are being favoured by consumers because they are of uniform shape and size and have no scratches or black spots on their skin.

On average, he delivers around 50 cartons of 15-20kg each to HCM City wholesale markets at VND13,000-15,000 per kilogramme.

City supermarkets and fruit shops said despite being three times the price of local produce, the imported bananas are in huge demand.

The Philippine bananas are now sold for VND22,000 per kilogramme against VND5,000-VND7,000 for Vietnamese bananas.

Quynh Trang, foreign affairs director of Big C supermarket, said her supermarket has been selling the fruit for the last two months and they are very popular.

But Tran Thanh Xuan, a Big C customer, is not enamoured of the imported bananas: She has tried the Dole bananas and their aroma and taste are not comparable to their domestic rivals, she said.

Damaged goods

Fruit traders suggested a possible cause for the popularity of the imported fruit: the failure to carefully transport locally-grown fruits to maintain their appearance and preserve them.

They said during their transportation to markets, Vietnamese bananas are damaged and as a result do not look as appetising as the imported fruits.

Besides, farmers have to improve their preservation methods to ensure the bananas reach the market in good shape, they added.

Nguyen Ba Dinh, deputy head of customs at Sai Gon Port Zone 1, said since the tariff on bananas imported from ASEAN countries is 5 per cent, the Dole banana costs about VND11,200 per kilogramme when it reaches the market. — VNS

Tags: Philippines banana market