2014 promises a bumper year for agricultural exports
It quoted the Vietnam Fruits
and Vegetables Association as saying 2014 promises another bumper year
for vegetable exports, which have experienced annual growth rates of 20
percent to 30 percent in recent years.
The Vietnam Pepper
Association (VPA) in turn has forecast that the export volume of the
spice will be around 125,000-130,000 tonnes with total revenue remaining
relatively unchanged from 2013 at 900 million USD.
The revenue
forecast is a rather conservative on the basis of the assumption that
pepper prices were stable in 2013 and will not increase in 2014,
hovering around 120,000 VND a kilo throughout 2013.
For rice
exports, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the VFA
said the export outlook will be likely to remain unchanged compared to
2013. However, Vietnam will face tougher competition from Thailand and
other major rice suppliers in Asia.
I ndia will remain the world’s leading supplier and a strong rival of Vietnam this year.
The VFA said despite falling demand in Southeast Asia, Vietnam is
still in a position to win government-to-government export contracts
with regional countries.
China, Vietnam’s biggest rice
importer, is forecast to continue its high level of imports, yet
economists warn of trade risks from the market.
The VFA said Vietnam’s rice exports will reach around 6.5-7 million tonnes this year.-VNA