The California fruit industry welcomed the recently announced improved access for stone fruit to Vietnam, saying it's "very meaningful in terms of opportunities."

On June 16 the USDA announced that Vietnamese authorities had approved exports of fresh peaches and nectarines from California using a systems approach rather than fumigation.

California Fresh Fruit Association's Director of Trade, Caroline Stringer, celebrated the news and said that gaining the market access under the method gives growers options and the choice of lower production costs.

Stringer says she's been to the country four times in the last three years to solidify both fruits' position in the Asian country and "show the Vietnamese Plant Health Agency and the Vietnamese government just how important it was for our industry to gain access to their market, how excited we were." 

California peaches and nectarines were originally granted market access to Vietnam in 2024. Albeit it was a win for the California stone fruit industry, it came with strict production and packing protocols. 

Stringer said not everyone wants to fumigate, and it is good for growers to have the choice to allocate or save the money that would have otherwise been spent on fumigation.

"Having the fumigation and systems approach protocols in place is very meaningful in terms of opportunities," Stringer said. "That means our industry members now have two paths available."

"I'm really proud of our industry members for who contributed quite a bit into the systems approach protocols and what works for them, what's practical," Stringer added. "All the work that went into making sure that our Vietnamese plant health agency partners are satisfied and know that we are going to protect their agricultural production as well."

Stringer said a lot of work and hands went into securing market entry. She highlighted the work of other CFFA members, the USDA, the CDFA, growers — who she said were the ones who initially approached the organization to bring up the idea — Fresno and Tulare counties, and the Vietnamese agro industry counterparts including Vietnam's Plant Production and Protection Department (PPPD).

After the news, which she learned about right before sending an email to thank her APHIS counterparts, Stringer went back to Vietnam, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, to present a series of seminars on California stone fruit to Vietnamese fresh fruit trade members. 

She said she did a presentation on "a little of the history, a little bit of California, kind of an overview of the industry, storage and handling, and cold chain," and she'll continue to do so for the next two years to set the California stone peach market for success.

CFFA Director of Trade, Caroline Stringer providing an overview of the California stone fruit industry to Vietnamese fresh fruit trade members in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

Related news: 

U.S. fruit exporters gain improved access to Vietnam, Thailand in new trade deals