Potatoes New Zealand welcomes access to Vietnamese market

Fresh potatoes from New Zealand have been approved for export to Vietnam, providing a new export opportunity for growers. Champak Mehta, Chief Executive of Potatoes New Zealand Inc., said the development, which follows four years’ of negotiations, would absorb excess potatoes in good growing seasons and provide better export prices for growers in less abundant years.

“We currently export about $100m of potatoes each year,“ Mr Mehta. “Most of that is frozen, with about $15m worth – about 30,000 tonnes - exported as fresh produce. “Most fresh product goes to Fiji, with some to other Asia Pacific markets. The Vietnam market can be supplied by New Zealand potatoes over a long period of time due to New Zealand’s exceptional storage conditions.

“New Zealand growers produce between 500,000 and 525,000 tonnes of potatoes each year and grow more than 50 commercial varieties, grown sequentially around the country, so we can offer a lot of choice.

“This is the result of a great deal of hard work by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) and Potatoes New Zealand Inc. It is good news for both our industry and for New Zealand exports in general, contributing to the Government’s goal of growing our primary sector exports to $20bn by 2020.”

Gisele Irvine, Biosecurity Advisor with Market Access Solutionz Ltd, who oversee the market access programme for Potatoes New Zealand Inc., said that prior to the first exports, inspectors from Vietnam’s Plant Protection Department would visit New Zealand to ensure the agreed export protocols were in place.

“We are arranging that but, with the export protocol agreed, growers can begin to apply for import permits from Vietnam now,” said Ms Irvine.

Market Access Solutionz Ltd worked with MPI, on behalf of Potatoes New Zealand Inc., throughout the lengthy negotiation process from the initial market access request to Vietnam, to agreeing to a protocol based on a full pest risk analysis to satisfy all Vietnam’s sanitary and phytosanitary protocols and requirements.

Negotiations are also underway with the aim of ultimately gaining export access for New Zealand potatoes to other markets including Australia and Japan.