Agricultural exports up 28.2 pct

Farm exports were worth $10.4 billion, up 13.3 percent, with tea, pepper, cashew, vegetables, fruits, rubber, and cassava and cassava-based products all seeing increases, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said.

Vietnamese rice prices are rising consistently, while demand for rice in many countries, including China and South Korea, is increasing. Many firms have already signed contracts to export in the second and third quarters.

Fruit exports rose 17.6 percent to $2.36 million, Dang Phuc Nguyen, general secretary of the Vietnam Fruit & Vegetables Association, told VnExpress. The exports went mainly to China.

"Large volumes of litchi were exported to many markets, including China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Germany, France, and the Czech Republic."

He added that fruit sales in the domestic market were also sharply up.

Seafood exports rose 12.5 percent to $4.05 billion.

China, the U.S., Japan, and South Korea are the biggest importers of Vietnamese agricultural, forestry and fishery products.

The U.S. accounted for $6.7 billion, up 59.8 percent, and China for $4.75 billion, up 32.1 percent.

In the second half of the year, with the pandemic yet to be controlled, Vietnam will take advantage of trade deals such as the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership to penetrate new markets, the ministry said.

It will also negotiate with China to boost exports of sweet potato, durian, chili, passion fruit, grapefruit, coconut and other fruits, further tap promising markets such as Russia, the Middle East, Africa, and ASEAN and strengthen exports to Japan, South Korea, India, and the EU, it added.