Imitation fruit? World’s costliest grape sells for cheap in Vietnam

Many fruit outlets in Hanoi and HCMC are promoting Ruby Roman grapes, unique to the Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa, at VND550,000-700,000 (US$23.4-29.8) a bunch that weighs 400-700 grams.

The amount of Ruby Roman grapes imported to Vietnam was very small, given its very excessive worth. However, for greater than a month now, the Vietnamese market has been flooded with grapes offered as Ruby Roman.

Hoa, the proprietor of a fruit store in Hanoi, mentioned she had simply imported 10 containers of Ruby Roman grapes and so they offered out shortly.

Mortgage, a fruit wholesaler in HCMC, has imported 4 batches of Ruby Roman grapes since mid-June. Every batch had about 150 bunches and all of them have been offered, she mentioned.

A field of grapes being offered as Ruby Roman within the Vietnamese market are stored in a field meant for Queen Nina grapes. Photograph supplied by the vendor

Many outlets in Vietnam assert that they’re promoting Ruby Roman, the Japanese grape selection, however grown in Taiwan as a substitute of Ishikawa.

Nevertheless, veteran businesspeople say that the grapes marketed as Ruby Roman in Vietnam might really be comparable wanting ones imported from Taiwan and mainland China.

Hanh, supervisor of an imported fruit store chain in HCMC, mentioned the grapes launched as Ruby Roman are much like the genuine one when it comes to look, however completely different when it comes to sweetness and measurement.

Nguyen Ngoc Huyen, CEO of Mia Group, which used to formally import Ruby Roman grapes from Japan, mentioned some outlets in Vietnam have imported Queen Nina grapes from Taiwan and offered them as Ruby Roman.

Ruby Roman grapes grown in Ishikawa, central Japan, first appeared out there in 2008.

At an public sale in 2020, one bunch of Ruby Roman grapes offered for US$12,000, about $400 per grape.

Every Ruby Roman grape should weigh a minimum of 20 grams and have a sugar content material of a minimum of 18 p.c, it was reported then.