Agro-forestry-aquatic product exports increase over 13% in first quarter
Vietnam's agro-forestry-aquatic product exports reached US$6.14 billion in March, bringing the total export value in the first quarter of this year to US$15.72 billion, a year-on-year increase of 13.1%.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Vietnam recorded a trade surplus of US$4.4 billion in agro-forestry-aquatic products in the first quarter, up 13.1% compared the same period last year.
Specifically, the export value of agricultural products reached US$8.53 billion, up 12.2%; livestock products US$131.3 million, up 18.5%; aquatic products US$2.29 billion, up 18.1%; and forestry products US$4.21 billion, up 11.2%.
By product group, forestry products, aquatic products, and agricultural products are the three categories that posted trade surpluses. Specifically, the group of forestry products is estimated to have a surplus of US$3.54 billion, up 9.1% compared to the same period in 2024; the group of aquatic products has a surplus of US$1.51 billion, up 14.1%; and the group of agricultural products has a surplus of US$1.48 billion, up 16.9%.
Three export items with the highest trade surpluses were wood and wooden products, coffee, and shrimp with surpluses of US$3.29 billion, US$2.79 billion, and US$792.6 million respectively.
Asia is the largest export market for Vietnam's agro-forestry-aquatic products as it held a 42% market share. It is followed by the Americas and Europe, with market shares of 22.5% and 16.6%, respectively.
Compared to the same period last year, the export value of Vietnam's agro-forestry-aquatic products to Asia increased by 2%; to the Americas up 15.7%; to Europe up 37.8%; to Africa up more than 100%; and to Oceania up 0.8%.
Regarding key exports, in the first three months of 2025, Vietnam exported 509,500 tonnes of coffee worth US$2.88 billion, down 12.9% in export volume but up 49.5% in value compared to the same period last year.
Rubber also saw a decrease of 4.4% in export volume but an increase of 26.1% in value, reaching 396,100 tonnes valued at US$765.8 million. China is the largest market for Vietnamese rubber, holding a 73.7% market share. The second and third largest markets are India and Indonesia, with market shares of 3.8% and 3.2%, respectively.
Similarly, thanks to favourable export prices, Vietnam’s cashew nut exports posted a decrease of 19.3% in volume but an increase of 4.3% in value compared with those of the same period last year. It exported 121,400 tonnes of cashew nuts worth US$841.1 million.
Meanwhile, in the first quarter of this year, Vietnam exported 2.2 million tonnes of rice valued at US$1.14 billion, an increase of 0.6% in volume but a decrease of 19.7% in value compared to the same period in 2024.
The Philippines is the largest market for Vietnamese rice, holding a 42.1% market share. It is followed by Ivory Coast and Ghana with market shares of 16.3% and 10.2%, respectively.
The export value of vegetables and fruits in the first quarter reached US$1.14 billion, a decrease of 11.3% compared to the same period in 2024. Vietnamese vegetables and fruits are mainly exported to China with an export value accounting for 44.5% of the total.
Vietnam’s tea exports reached 27,300 tonnes valued at US$44.4 million, up 3% in volume and 2.7% in value compared to the same period in 2024.