Accordingly, the shipment of five tonnes of Ri6 durians, imported by the UK’s TT Meridian Ltd via official channel, went through customs clearance on May 4 and were distributed to supermarkets in the UK.

With superior quality and zero import duties thanks to the UK-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA), the Vietnamese durians could compete with rivals from other countries in the UK market, said the office.

Many other Vietnamese specialty fruits also entered the UK market, such as Bac Giang lychee, Tan Lac red-skin pomelo, Yen Thuy pomelo and Cao Phong orange from Hoa Binh province. This presence demonstrates great efforts by Vietnamese fruit producers and exporters to meet product quality standards and GlobalGAP production process.

Thai Tran, managing director of the TT Meridian Ltd, said the company has come up with plans to introduce more Vietnamese tropical fruits to the UK such as durian, mango, lychee and longan based on feedback and orders from distributors and consumers across the UK.

To expand export opportunities in the UK, trade experts also advised exporters to have a marketing strategy, especially digital marketing, to introduce these specialty fruits to UK consumers./. VNA