Illustrative photo (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Agro-forestry-fishery exports are estimated to have yielded8.8 billion USD in the year’s first quarter, a year-on-year fall of 2.9 percent, the Ministry of Agricultureand Rural Development has said.
Major farm produce shipped overseas brought home 4.2 billion USD, down 13.4percent, of which some 1.43 million tonnesof rice were sold in foreign markets at a value of 593 million USD,dropping 3.5 percent in volume and 20.2 percent in value.
However, the ministry relished in the rosy prospects for rice shipments in thesecond quarter of the year, boosted by numerous orders to be implemented in theperiod.
Coffee shipments also experienced a downward trend as the exported volumedecreased 14.2 percent to 483,000 tonnes with earnings sliding 22.8 percent to841 million USD. Germany and the US continued to be the largest importers ofVietnamese coffee, accounting for 22.8 percent of the country’s total shipments.
The export price of pepper plummeted 27 percent on supply pressure, causingexport revenues to dwindle 18 percent to 182 million USD despite an increase of19 percent in export quantity.
The US, India, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates were the biggest markets forVietnamese pepper, together making up nearly 43 percent of the market share.
Cashew exports edged up 2.1 percent in volume to 76,000 tonnes, but prices taperedoff 19.2 percent to 609 million USD.
During the period, fruit and vegetable exports earned the country 879 millionUSD, down 9.3 from the same time last year. China captured the lion share ofVietnamese fruits and vegetables at 73 percent.
In stark contrast, exports of seafood and forestry products rose 0.5 percentand 16.5 percent to 1.8 billion USD and 2.4 billion USD, respectively.
The ministry said that Vietnam splashed out 7.25 billion USD onagro-forestry-fishery imports during the three months, increasing 4.6 percentyear-on-year, allowing the agricultural sector to enjoy a trade surplus of 1.55billion USD during the period. –VNA
VNA
