Vietnam collects millions of USD from exporting bamboo and cassava leaves

Bamboo leaves and cassava of Vietnam are being favored by foreign markets, sold at expensive prices and earned millions of dollars.

For many people, bamboo is a familiar plant. Its stem can be used to make a house, wicker or take bamboo shoots for food processing. However, few people know that bamboos with large leaves are sold at expensive prices to make cakes and food packages.

Mr. Tuan, a trader who buys bamboo leaves in the North, said that this year the epidemic is complicated, but the demand for bamboo leaves by consumers in Taiwan is still quite high. Therefore, the purchasing price did not decrease but even increased compared to every year. Currently, fresh bamboo leaves for export are sold for 10,000 VND per kg, and dried leaves are sold for 40,000 VND.

Bamboo leaves are increasingly being sold throughout the online market. Photo: Hoang Nhat

"Usually, I buy fresh bamboo leaves and wash them, brace them into long braces to prevent them from bending, warping and then drying in the sun. Then they put them in the oven to dry and sort them out and sell them to export companies," Mr. Tuan said. .

He said that bamboo leaves are favored by consumers in Taiwan and Japan because they are used to wrap cakes, wrap food or decorate food. Currently, the price of Vietnamese bamboo leaves is the most competitive compared to other exporting countries such as India and Japan.

On foreign e-commerce sites like Alibaba , Vietnamese bamboo leaves wholesale in quantities from 100 kg for 3-5 USD per kg, (about 70,000-120,000 VND per kg), depending on the quantity ordered. The retail price is from 7-10 USD per kg, which is up to 230,000 VND.

This year, despite the impact of the epidemic, bamboo leaves exported to foreign countries still increased compared to 2020. Statistics from the General Department of Vietnam Customs show that, in the first 11 months, bamboo leaf exports reached 2.02 million USD, an increase of nearly 1% over the same period. This is also the only positive growth item in the group of foliage products exported to world markets in 2021.

In addition, cassava leaves from Vietnam were also purchased with a turnover of USD 1.24 million in 11 months. However, the complicated Covid-19 epidemic caused the turnover value of this item to decrease by 28.7% over the same period last year.

The reason is that the impact of the pandemic has made exports difficult. In addition, from June to August, cassava leaf mosaic disease broke out strongly in the Central Highlands and northern provinces, affecting export sources.

According to the export establishments, fresh cassava leaves are sold at people's houses for 1,200-1,500 VND per kilogram. The selling price in the market is up to 15,000-20,000 VND per kg for the quantity of 100 kg. Particularly, the retail price can be up to 30,000-50,000 VND per kg.

Hong Chau

+ OTHER POST:

• Behind the story of import and export(05.01.2022)
• Lao Cai: There is no more backlog of trucks at the border gate(02.01.2022)
• Factors that help Singapore maintain its business position in the region(01.01.2022)
• Prime Minister: Export of agricultural products cannot be forever 'open path'(30.12.2021)
• Steel exports are more than 1 billion dollars, but Hoa Sen still mainly "makes money" from the domestic market(29.12.2021)
• China suspends import of Vietnamese dragon fruit for 4 weeks(29.12.2021)