Agricultural exports increase 10%
Agricultural exports increase 10%
Agricultural exports totalled US$2.4 billion in November, bringing the total export turnover for the first eleven months of the year to $25 billion, an increase of 10 per cent over the same period a year ago, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Among cash crops recording strong growth in both value and volume were coffee and cassava. During the 11-month period, coffee exports reached 1.56 million tonnes and earned $3.3 billion, a rise of 42 per cent in quantity and 37 per cent in value. Meanwhile, exports of cassava and cassava-made products hit 3.8 million tonnes and earned $1.2 billion, a surge of 56 per cent in volume and 37 per cent in value.
During the same period, rice exports declined by 10 per cent in volume to 7.4 million tonnes, but value fell just 1.5 per cent to $3.4 billion, thanks to strong prices on the international market.
However, sinking export prices of rubber led to a 9.3-per-cent decrease in export value for the commodity, which reached only $2.6 billion despite a 32-per-cent rise in export volume.
Wood and wood products exports, meanwhile, reached a value of nearly $4.2 billion, an increase of 19 per cent. The figure was expected to continue increasing in December due to surging global demand.
Seafood exports during the period brought in an estimated $5.6 billion, up 1.2 per cent from last year. The US remained the top importer of Viet Nam's seafood, accounting for 20 per cent of the export market. It was followed by Japan and South Korea.
Under a master plan approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung earlier this year, agricultural exports would total $40 billion annually by 2020 . Of this, farm produce would account for $22 billion, seafood for $11 billion, and wood products $7 billion. The plan envisaged annual growth of 3.4-4 per cent and would target annual production value of VND70 million ($330) per hectare of land under cultivation.
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