A farmer in Bac Giang province harvest lychees that meet standards for export to Japan. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - Though COVID-19 has hamperedexports, the agricultural sector remains confident of achieving this year’sexport target of over 41 billion USD.
The coronavirus outbreak created obstacles toproduction and trade. Severe natural disasters such as drought and saltwaterintrusion, especially in the Mekong Delta, along with plant and animal diseasesposed further challenges to the sector this year.
Most key agricultural exports posted declines inthe early months of 2020.
Facing that fact, the agricultural sector has conductedpolicies flexibly in order to fulfil export targets, Minister of Agricultureand Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong said, noting that it has made use ofevery possible opportunity in all markets.
Thanks to that, agro-forestry-fishery exportsare forecast to surpass the targeted 41 billion USD this year. Exports tonearly 200 markets, including large markets such as the US, the EU, Japan, andChina, earned Vietnam second place in Southeast Asia and 15th in the world interms of agro-forestry-fishery exports, he said.
The sector has also managed to pave the way for differentfruit to enter new markets, like fresh lychee in Japan and pomelo in Chile.
Notably, he said, rice continues to record strongincreases in exports. The Mekong Delta, the largest agricultural hub in Vietnam,reaped a bumper rice harvest despite the historic drought, thanks to croprescheduling. Surging food demand amid COVID-19 also provided Vietnam with the opportunityto boost rice exports.
Strong demand from a host of markets fuelled risingexport prices for Vietnamese husked rice, which are now around 500 USD pertonne. Free trade deals, especially the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement(EVFTA), have also opened up more opportunities for the commodity.
Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said that as soonas the Prime Minister approved the EVFTA implementation plan, the ministrybuilt an action programme for the agricultural sector.
As a result, right from the first month the tradepact took effect, in August, shipments of agro-forestry-fishery products to theEU grew 15-17 percent against a year earlier, he said, adding that the sectorhas maintained its focus on traditional markets like China, the US, and Japan.
Wood product exports have continually accountedfor some 30 percent of the agricultural sector’s total overseas shipments but werenot immune from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chairman of the Vietnam Timber and ForestProduct Association (VIFOREST), Do Xuan Lap, said businesses have strived toseek new ways in the face of the pandemic’s complex developments.
Not only selling products directly to consumersor promoting goods at fairs, enterprises have also swiftly moved to onlineplatforms such as Alibaba and Amazon. They have also tried to become moreinterconnected and cut any dependence on external partners, according to Lap.
He expects that forestry products will see thestrongest export growth among all commodities in the agricultural sector thisyear, with revenue topping 12.6 billion USD, up 11.5 percent year-on-year./.
VNA
