HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s bid to turn the humble passion fruit into a billion-dollar export success is showing promise, but the industry must address some sour spots to truly thrive.

The country currently cultivates around 10,400ha of passion fruit, yielding approximately 163,000 tonnes annually, according to the Plant Production and Protection Department. This puts Việt Nam 17th globally in plantation area. The Central Highlands dominate production, contributing 85 per cent of the total cultivation area and 90 per cent of the national output.

Despite the strong numbers, the sector remains hindered by fragmented value chains, unstable markets and unsustainable practices. Farmers often grapple with a lack of disease-resistant varieties and struggle to access effective disease-control methods. Post-harvest handling and processing technologies also remain limited.

Nafoods Group, which has partnered with around 2,000 farming households, pointed to weak collaboration between enterprises, cooperatives and farmers. Many growers still fail to maintain proper field diaries and apply fertilisers or pesticides without adhering to technical guidelines, compromising quality and sustainability.

The company stressed the need for stronger linkages and greater accountability among all stakeholders in the value chain to ensure shared benefits and long-term growth.

The National Agricultural Extension Centre said that strengthening and expanding growing area codes and packaging facility codes, especially in the Central Highlands provinces, is critical for the sustainable development of passion fruit. In addition, priority should be given to the research, production and supply of varieties with high yield, good quality and disease resistance.

The technical processes under VietGAP and GlobalGAP standards should be developed, together with improving linkages among related parties to establish a standardised value chain.

“Passion fruit is a promising crop and could become a billion-dollar export fruit,” said Deputy Director of the National Agricultural Extension Centre Hoàng Văn Hồng.

He noted that the fruit is easy to grow and offers quick harvests, but stressed the need for large-scale farming, adherence to technical standards and registration of growing area codes to meet importers’ food safety requirements.

Hồng also stressed the need for stronger information sharing and support among enterprises, cooperatives and farmers to maintain credibility and compliance with quality standards.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phùng Đức Tiến said that cultivation zone planning was crucial to stabilise production and encourage farmers, urging cooperatives and enterprises to work together to take passion fruit to a higher development level.

The ministry has invested in research projects to boost yields and quality.

Việt Nam is among the world’s top 10 passion fruit producers and exporters, with about 70–80 per cent of its output exported to more than 20 countries and territories.

Passion fruit exports reached US$172 million in 2024. In the first five months of this year, exports were estimated at nearly $100 million, up 14.5 per cent over the same period last year.

Passion fruit, along with pineapple and banana, is expected to be among the fruits most likely to reach a billion-dollar export revenue in the near future. — VNS