Trade surplus from agro-forestry-fisheries hit US$1.37 mln in two months
Import-export value of agro-forestry-fisheries products hit nearly US$11 billion in the first two months of 2021, resulting in US$1.37 million in trade surplus, up 28.4% year on year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
The ministry reported that a year-on-year rise was recorded in the export value of many products such as rubber, tea, cashew, vegetables and fruit and forestry products.
In the first two months of this year, the US remained the largest market of Vietnamese agro-forestry-fisheries products with US$2.04 billion, up 57.3% year on year and accounting for 33.05% of the market share. It was followed by China, ASEAN, the EU, Japan and the Republic of Korea.
The export value of aquatic products reached US$405 million in February, pushing the figure in the first two months of 2021 to over US$1 billion, up 2.2% over the same period last year, reported the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
According to the association, exports of tra fish saw positive signals since the beginning of this year after consecutive drops in 2020, with a 1.7% rise in the first two months of 2021 to US$214 million.
In January, excepting for China and the EU, upturn was seen in the majority of markets of Vietnamese tra fish, including the US with 51%, Mexico 73%, Australia 45% and Canada 42%. Other markets such as Brazil, Colombia, the UK and Russia also experienced an increase of 37-129%.
Meanwhile, shrimp export in February was estimated at US$160 million, down 18% year on year, resulting in over US$380 million in the first two months of 2021, a slight annual fall of 0.8%.
At the same time, seafood exports rose 31.4% to US$264 million in January but dropped 21% to US$156 million in February, resulting in the two-month export value of US$420 million, up 5.5%.
The VASEP said that in the first two months of this year, exports of Vietnamese aquatic products were affected by demands of markets amidst COVID-19 pandemic.
The association forecast that aquatic export value in March will reach about US$640 million, up 1.5% over the same period last year thanks to high demand in the US, EU and members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).