Hanoi (VNA) - The trade surplus of the agro-forestry-fishery sector in the first nine months of this year hit 13.86 billion USD, a year-on-year rise of 71.2%.
According to the report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the total agro-forestry-fishery export turnover in January-September reached 46.28 billion USD, up 21% compared the same period last year. Of which, agricultural shipments fetched 24.85 billion USD, up 27.7% year-on-year; forestry products 12.46 billion USD, up 20.3%; fishery products 7.23 billion USD, up 9.5%; and livestock 376 million USD, up 3.8%.
The export turnover of key products in the industry was higher than the same period last year. For example, wood and wood products hit 11.66 billion USD, up 21.3%; coffee 4.37 billion USD, up 39.6% despite a 10.5% decrease in volume; rice 4.37 billion USD, up 23.5%; cashew nuts 3.17 billion USD, up 22.5%; fruits and vegetables 5.87 billion USD, up 39.4%; shrimp 2.79 billion USD, up 10.5%; tra fish 1.36 billion USD, up 7.8%; and pepper 1 billion USD, up 46.9%.
The average export price of some key products peaked, with coffee up 56%, reaching 3,897 USD per tonne; followed by pepper at 4,941 USD per tonne, an increase of 49.2%; rubber at 19%; and rice at 13.1%.
In the first nine months, exports to Asia went up 17.4% year-on-year, America up 26.1%, Europe up 34.6%, and Oceania up 16.1%; while a decrease of 0.3% was seen in shipments to Africa. The US, China, and Japan continued to be the three largest export markets, with the US accounting for the highest proportion at 21.6%, followed by China 20.8% and Japan 6.6%.
Meanwhile, the import turnover of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products in the first nine months reached 32.42 billion USD, up 7.5% year-on-year. Of which, agricultural product imports hit 19.95 billion USD, up 7.6%; livestock products 2.8 billion USD, up 9.2%; fishery products 1.89 billion USD, down 2.5%; forestry products 2.09 billion USD, up 25.7%; production inputs 5.67 billion USD, up 4.6%; and salt 26 million USD, down 21.8%.
The imports from Asia were valued at 9.4 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 10.2%; from America 7.99 billion USD, up 13.9%; from Oceania, 1.3 billion USD, down 39.4%; from Europe, 1.5 billion USD, up 22.4%; and from Africa, 1.3 billion USD, down 12.2%. In September alone, the agro-forestry-fisheries export turnover hit 5.85 billion USD, a 31% increase from a year ago.
Specifically, the export of key agricultural products earned 3.41 billion USD, up 50.9%; forestry products 1.33 billion USD, up 11%; aquatic products 920 million USD, up 13.4%; and livestock 46.1 million USD, up 19.1%.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will continue to address market issues to facilitate the export of agricultural and fishery products. It will implement programmes to boost exports to markets such as China, the US, Japan, and the EU, while entering new markets with significant potential, including Muslim countries, the Middle East, and Africa.
In the final months of the year, the ministry will further leverage free trade agreements (FTAs), especially the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the EU-Vietnam FTA (EVFTA). These will be exploited to enhance the export of key agricultural, forestry, and fishery products. It will support businesses in securing new export contracts and collaborate to protect trademarks and origin certifications for Vietnam’s potential export products abroad./.
