Agro-forestry-fishery exports hit US$19 billion in six months

Agro-forestry-fishery exports hit US$19 billion in six months

In the first six months of the year, although the growth rate of pig herds and reproductive herds was still slow, large enterprises and livestock farms have been growing rapidly and are expected to meet market demand at the end of the third quarter of this year.

In addition, cow and poultry breeding continues to grow quite strongly. For the whole country, the cow herd increased by about 3.4% whilst the poultry population has developed well with an increase of about 7.4%.

The fishery sector also grew in the first half of 2020, with a total output of nearly 3.86 million tonnes, up 1.6% over the same period in 2019; of which, processed output reached 1.89 million tonnes.

Regarding forestry, the area of newly planted forest was estimated at 106,300 hectares, an increase of 0.2% over the same period last year and the output of processed timber was 7.53 million m3, an increase of 2%.

Forest protection and fire prevention has been paid special attention by all levels and sectors. As of June 24, 2020, there were 109 forest fires across the country, a reduction of 80, causing damage to 269 hectares of forest; while there were 5,545 cases of legal violations, down 17.6%.

The combined export value of the main agricultural products was estimated at US$8.94 billion, down 2.7%; fishery, US$3.56 billion, down 8.6%; the main forest products, US$5.3 billion, up 2.7% and livestock products, US$190 million, down 19.4%.

The agricultural sector enjoyed a trade surplus of US$4.5 billion in the first six months of the year, US$339 million higher than the same period last year.

During the Jan-June period, 9 processing agro-forestry-aquatic projects with a total investment of over VND10 trillion (over US$432 million) were launched and put into operation.

According to the MARD’s assessment, the livestock industry has begun to show signs of recovery since African swine fever was brought under control.

Head of the Planning Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Nguyen Van Viet attributed the results to falling demand and prices for key products in the market and declining export turnoverto both China and the U.S.

China, the U.S., Japan, and the Republic of Korea remained the largest importers of Vietnamese agriculture, forestry, and fisheries products, with market shares of 24%,  22%, 8.8%, and 6.1%, respectively. 

To reach its export turnover target of about US$ 41 billion in 2020, Viet said the sector will focus on seeking new markets and maintaining traditional markets, while adopting measures to fully tap into opportunities brought about by free trade agreements as well as enhancing trade promotion activities.

MARD will coordinate closely with other ministries, sectors, and localities in addressing difficulties in trade, customs clearance, and quarantine of agricultural products at official border gates, and strictly control non-quota agricultural product import and export activities, especially with China.

The MARD has set a target of 2.5-3% growth for the last six months of 2020.

                                                                                                                    By Vien Nhu