The ministry said that despite the prices of those products increasing, export value was still low due to the world economic crisis.

Of the total export value, the value of farm produce was US$1.9 billion, a year-on-year increase of 11 percent, while forestry products earned US$706 million, a year-on-year increase of 15.3 percent, and seafood, US$771 million, up three percent.

Exports of wood and wood works made a breakthrough with US$655 million, up 16.3 percent over the same period last year.

Exports of seafood saw optimistic signs. Pangasius and frozen shrimp were major export items, earning over US$312 million, making up 58 percent of the total export value from seafood.

The EU is Vietnam’s largest importer of seafood, buying over 24.7 percent, followed by the US and Japan.

Farm produce exports saw a gloomy picture. Exports of coffee dropped sharply both in volume and value. The country exported only 326,000 tonnes of coffee for US$466 million, year-on-year decreases of 24 and 28 percent, respectively.

Exports of rice also dropped in the reviewed period. The nation shipped only 1.2 million tonnes of rice abroad and earned US$650 million, more than 30 percent and 20 percent decreases, respectively.

At present, the Philippines is Vietnam’s biggest rice importer, contributing nearly 66 percent to the rice export value.

Tea was the only farm produce with increases in volume and value. Vietnam exported 24,000 tonnes of tea for US$33 million, 6 percent and 14 percent reflecting increases over the same period last year. Russia is the largest market for Vietnamese tea, followed by Pakistan.

The export values of rubber, cashews and pepper were up due to price increases. They obtained a growth in export value of 54.2 percent, 6.4 percent and 1.54 percent, respectively.