The Vietnamese Trade Ministry plans to establish a trading center for exporting fresh fruits by air and sea in southern Ho Chi Minh City, the local newspaper Youth reported on Tuesday.

Under a scheme recently worked out by the ministry, the center with high-capacity freezing facilities will be soon set up at the city-based Thu Duc wholesales market. Some similar centers may be established in other cities and provinces.

Vietnam is estimated to earn 172 million U.S. dollars from exporting fruits and vegetables in the first eight months of this year, mainly to China, Russia and Japan, posting a year-on-year rise of 10.1 percent, according to the country's General Statistics Office.

Vietnam, which had over 1.2 million hectares of vegetables and orchards with total output of nearly 12.7 million tons by the end of 2005, gained 234 million dollars from shipping fruits and vegetables abroad in the year, up 30.8 percent.

Source: Xinhua