HÀ NỘI — Some 220 tonnes of Đồng Nai bananas, comprising 11 containers of Cavendish bananas, were exported to key international markets including Japan, South Korea and China on April 2.

The exports were announced at a ceremony held by the provincial People’s Committee to promote fresh bananas and other key agricultural products while strengthening links between producers and exporters. Authorities said the event also aims to gradually build a brand for Đồng Nai’s agricultural sector.

Đồng Nai currently has nearly 21,000 hectares of banana plantations, producing more than 900,000 tonnes annually, with an average yield of around 55 tonnes per hectare. About 80 per cent of output is destined for export markets such as China, South Korea, Japan and Malaysia.

The province has been granted 54 growing area codes covering nearly 7,300 hectares and 37 export-standard packing facilities for bananas. In total, it has established 194 growing area codes and 52 packing facilities serving agricultural exports.

Speaking at the event, Vice Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyễn Thị Hoàng noted that Đồng Nai, while a dynamic industrial hub, also holds strong agricultural potential thanks to favourable natural conditions and extensive farmland. The province has more than one million hectares of agricultural land and leads the country in several crops including rubber, cashew and durian.

In 2025, Đồng Nai recorded strong export revenues from key commodities, including nearly US$2.8 billion from cashew products, $1.6 billion from coffee, over $1.3 billion from rubber, and nearly $1.7 billion from wood and wood products.

However, local authorities acknowledged ongoing challenges, including fragmented production, limited post-harvest processing technology and unstable market demand. The province plans to focus on developing a sustainable agricultural ecosystem alongside green and circular economy models.

Lê Viết Bình, deputy chief of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment’s southern office, said Đồng Nai remains a major agricultural hub in the southeastern region, with significant potential for banana exports.

With favourable growing conditions and year-round production capacity, he said Việt Nam could see banana export turnover reach $1 billion in the near future if production and disease control are effectively managed. — BIZHUB/VNS