The value of farm, forest and seafood exports declined year-on-year by 1.7 percent to reach 13.53 billion USD in the first half this year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

During the first half of this year, the export value of most farm products, including rice, coffee, latex, tea and cassava, fell 10.5 percent to reach 7.59 billion USD.

Coffee exports showed the largest drop, 24.2 percent in volume and 22.4 percent in value, followed by cassava with a fall of 29.4 percent in volume and 15 percent in value, latex with 5 percent in volume and 20 percent in value and rice with 7 percent in volume and 10 percent in value.

Meanwhile, the value of seafood exports, reached 2.88 billion USD for the same period last year.

However, the value of forestry exports rose by 12.4 percent to 2.31 billion in the first six months.

The overall decline in exports was also reflected in a decline in domestic consumption of farm products.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said the farming, forestry and seafood industries should closely control exports to foreign countries, such as the European Union, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Russia and China, to ensure quality was maintained.-VNA