Agro-forestry-fishery exports valued at US$17.8 billion
Agro-forestry-fishery shipments abroad brought home an estimated US$17.8 billion in the first seven months of the year, a year-on year surge of 5.1%, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
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During the period, some 2.93 million tonnes of rice were sold abroad and yielded US$1.32 billion, down 18.4% and 14.4% in quantity and value from the same time last year.
China remained Vietnam’s largest rice importer with more than 35% of the market share, followed by Indonesia with 11.6%.
Trade to Ghana and the Ivory Coast grew, 41% and 31.3% respectively. Sharp drops in rice consumption were seen in the Philippines (54.3%), Malaysia (59.2%) and Singapore (34.6%).
In the same period, the country sold 122,000 tonnes of pepper corn to foreign countries for US$988 million, increasing 26% in volume and 9% in value. However, pepper prices slid 13% compared to the same period in 2015.
A fall in export prices was also seen in coffee (15.6%) and rubber (15%). Export value of coffee was US$1.98 billion while that of rubber was US$705 million.
69,000 tonnes of tea was exported for US$110 million, up 4.9% in quantity and dwindling 2.1% in value.
Of major farm exports, cashew nut posted increases in both volume and value. Total cashew exports in the period picked up 2.5% in quantity and 9% in value to 189,000 tonnes and US$1.46 billion.
The value of aquatic product exports in the period contributed US$3.65 billion to overall January-July agro-forestry-fishery exports, up 3.3%.
Key forestry products earned the country US$3.98 billion, up 0.8%.
The US, Japan and China were leading buyers of Vietnamese aquatic and wood products.
