Agro-forestry-fisheries exports reach over 26 billion USD in first eight months

Hanoi (VNA) - Exports of agro-forestry-fisheries products were worth 26.1 billion USD in the first eight months of 2020, a fall of 0.9 percent year-on-year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has reported.

Imports of agro-forestry-fisheries products in the period, meanwhile, totalled 19.9 billion USD, resulting in a surplus of about 6.2 billion USD, up 4.9 percent over the same period of 2019.

The US became the largest market for the sector in the period, consuming over 6.3 billion USD worth of products, up 14.2 percent year-on-year and accounting for 24.13 percent of total export value. It was followed by China, with 6.28 billion USD, down 10.1 percent and accounting for 24 percent of the total.

Export revenue in the EU market was about 2.5 billion USD, down 2.2 percent, while in ASEAN it was 2.24 billion USD and Japan 2.2 billion USD, down 11.4 percent and 1.8 percent, respectively.

Despite the fall in export revenue for many products, increases were still seen in the export of rice (10.4 percent to 2.2 billion USD), vegetables (12.8 percent to 487 million USD), cassava (nearly 95 percent to 108 million USD), shrimp (11.4 percent to nearly 2.4 billion USD), and wood and wooden furniture (9.6 percent to 7.3 billion USD).

Products that saw sharp falls in export value included rubber, down nearly 13 percent, peppercorn 20 percent, fruit nearly 18 percent, and tra fish 26 percent.

In August alone, agro-forestry-fisheries products brought home 3.6 billion USD, up 3.5 percent against July.

MARD said it has coordinated with other ministries, sectors, localities, and businesses to remove difficulties and promote exports amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

It will update exporters on new regulations and market developments overseas, especially in China, while dealing with technical barriers and expanding markets in China, the EU, the Eurasian Economic Union, the US, and Brazil. The ministry also plans to send working teams to China, Brazil, Russia, Japan, and Australia when the pandemic is over./.