Agro-forestry and fishery exports up 13% in first half of 2017

The export revenue of agricultural, forestry and fishery products was estimated at US$2.97 billion in June, raising the total export revenue in the first six months of this year to US$17.1 billion, a year-on-year increase of 13.1%.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the export value of key agricultural products reached US$9.1 billion in the first half of this year, up 15.4% compared to the same period in 2016.

Meanwhile, the export revenue of fishery products was posted at US$3.5 billion and key forestry products recorded US$3.8 billion, a year-on-year increase of 14.1% and 12.8% respectively.

Almost all products saw an increase in export volume and value including rice, seafood, fruits and vegetables, rubber, wood and wood products, among others.

Fruits and vegetables recorded the biggest increase with an export revenue of US$1.7 billion in six months, an increase of 44.6% over the same period last year.

China, the US, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) were the leading import markets of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables in the first five months of this year, accounting for 84.7% of the total export revenue of these products.

The export value of rubber also posted a year-on-year increase of 58.6% while the export volume rose by 5%.

In addition, the export of rice has continued to recover in recent months with 6.3% increase in the export volume and 4.9% increase in the export value compared to the same period in 2016.

The export value of wood and wood products has made the largest contribution to the total export value of the forestry sector which reached US$3.6 billion in six months, up 13.2% over the same period in 2016.

However, several products reported declines in export volume or value including cassava and pepper, among others.