In the first 9 months of 2023, the entire Agriculture sector has achieved high growth in many fields, notably ...
In the first 9 months of 2023, the entire Agriculture sector has achieved high growth in many fields, notably the exports of agriculture, forestry, and aquatic products. In the next 3 months, the Agriculture industry is confident in reaching the export turnover of 54 billion USD, as set out in the 2023 goal.
Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Graphics: Van Chung
Exporting vegetables, fruits, and rice has brought in more than 8 billion USD
At the press conference for the third quarter of 2023 organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on September 29, Mr. Nguyen Van Viet - Head of the Planning Department (MARD), said that from the beginning of the year until now, the entire Agriculture and Rural Development sector had made efforts to overcome difficulties and challenges; continue to mobilize resources for the development of agriculture production, processing, and consumption.
In the past 9 months, the entire Agriculture sector achieved growth in various fields such as crop cultivation increased by 2.6%, reaching a record high in recent years, the livestock industry has grown by 5.1%, forestry increased by 3.2% and seafood increased by 3.6%. The total value of production in 9 months reached 1.1 million billion VND. The industry has ensured food security and export markets have shown positive signals.
Specifically, in September, export turnover of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products is estimated to reach 4.8 billion USD, an increase of 22% compared to September 2022. In general, for the first 9 months of 2023, due to the sharp decrease in the export value of some main export products, the total export turnover of agriculture, forestry and fishery products is estimated at 38,48 billion USD including fisheries of 6.64 billion USD (a decrease of 21.7%), forestry of 10.44 billion USD (a decrease of 20.6%), and agricultural inputs of 1.49 billion USD (a decrease of 20.2%). Particularly, the agricultural and livestock products group has shown significant growth compared to the same period in 2022. Thanks to the contribution of vegetables, rice, cashew nuts, and coffee, the agricultural sector achieved an export turnover of 19.54 billion USD, an increase of 16,7%. The export of livestock products is estimated to reach 369 million USD, an increase of 26.4%.
Notably, in the agricultural sector, the most considerable contribution came from the export of fruit and vegetables, reaching 4.2 billion USD, a 71.8% increase. Rice exports reached 3.66 billion USD, a 40.4% increase compared to the same period last year. Mr. Hoang Phuc Nguyen - General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association shared that vegetable and fruit exports will continue to grow strongly until the end of 2023. Major markets such as China, Japan, and the United States will have a high demand for importing a large amount of vegetables and fruits from Vietnam for consumption during the year-end festivals. Meanwhile, the end of the year is also the harvest season for many fruits and vegetables with a nationwide output of approximately 7.6 million tons.
Regarding rice products, Vietnamese rice is being exported the most to markets within the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Vietnam's average export rice price from the beginning of the year until now has reached 553 USD/ton, up 14% over the same period last year, especially the export rice price was up to nearly 650 USD/ton at some points.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Phung Duc Tien, stated that after ensuring domestic food security and processing, breeding, and animal feed, Vietnam can export 7.5 - 8 million tons of rice by 2023, 400.000 – 900.000 tons higher than that of 2022 which was considered as a record-breaking year for rice exports in Vietnam.
Striving to achieve monthly exports of 5 billion USD
In 2023, the Agriculture and Rural Development sector aims to achieve a GDP growth rate of 3 - 3.5% for the entire sector, with a total export value of agricultural, forestry, and fisheries products reaching approximately $53 - 54 billion. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Viet, with the above export results, if the agricultural export sector can achieve $5 billion in exports per month for the remaining 3 months of the year, the annual export target of around $54 billion will be met, as assigned by the Prime Minister.
Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien also affirmed that the growth target of the entire agricultural sector from 3.4 to 3.5% is completely feasible in 2023. The most important thing is to focus on exporting products to achieve the $54 billion goal.
In the coming time, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will focus on key solutions to reach the target in terms of both growth rate and export value. Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien emphasized the importance of good coordination in product quality control, efforts to expand exports of other key products, and ensuring market forecasts to serve farmers and prevent unsold surpluses.
Additionally, the Ministry continues to handle market issues to create favorable conditions for exporting agricultural and aquatic products, especially to the markets of China, the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Europe Economic Union. At the same time, they will take advantage of free trade agreements (FTAs), especially the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to promote exports of key agricultural, forestry, and fisheries products as well as support businesses in signing new export orders.
In terms of livestock farming, the Agriculture sector strengthens inspection to overcome difficulties, promote livestock development, ensure food supply; and provide guidance for the widespread adoption of models for biologically safe livestock farming, disease prevention, VietGAP standards, organic farming, and circular economy practices for livestock.
Regarding the field of cultivation, the winter crop is a very special vegetable crop in Vietnam with high economic value as it focuses entirely on commodity production. In addition to meeting domestic demand, it also serves the purpose of exporting to markets such as China, South Korea, Japan, and Indonesia. Specialized agencies will actively coordinate with localities to overcome any difficulties and boost winter crop vegetable exports to the Chinese market.
In 9 months, the total import and export of agriculture, forestry, and fishery products reached 68.92 billion USD
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the first 9 months of 2023, the total export and import turnover of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products is estimated at 68.92 billion USD. This represents a 7.5% decrease compared to the same period last year. Specifically, exports amount to $38.48 billion, and imports amount to $30.44 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $8.04 billion, which is an increase of 22.5% compared to the same period last year.
According to The Vietnam Financial Times.