According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, due to the Tet holiday as well as the difficulties in orders, Vietnam’s export value of agricultural – forestry – fishery products in Jan 2023 only reached over 3.7 billion USD, down more than 23% compared to the same period last year.
The export value of agricultural – forestry – fishery products in Jan 2023 decreased by 23% compared to the same period in 2022.
In particular, the export value of major agricultural products reached more than 1.7 billion USD, down nearly 13% over the same period last year; the value of seafood exports was estimated at 600 million USD, down nearly 31%; the export value of wood and wood products reached 1.1 billion USD, down nearly 30% compared to Jan 2022.
EXPORTS OF FISHERY AND FORESTRY PRODUCTS ARE DIFFICULT, WHILE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS ARE “BRIGHT”
Many items with export value increased sharply in 2022, decreased in export value in the first month of 2023.
For example, in 2022, the seafood industry reached a record number of 11 billion USD for the first time, up 23.8% compared to 2021. However, currently, seafood exports are continuing to fall sharply following the trend of the last quarter of last year when it brought only 600 million USD in Jan 2023, down 31% compared to January 2022.
Of which, shrimp export was more than 169 million USD, down 46% over the same period last year; catfish export was 107 million USD, down 50%; tuna export was nearly 60 million USD, down 32% over the same period last year.
Wood export is in a similar situation. Mr. Do Xuan Lap, Chairman of the Vietnam Wood and Forest Products Association, said that in 2022, the wood industry experienced two distinct stages: in the first half of the year, the export value increased but in the second half, there was a decline in orders, loss of orders, and businesses cut down their labors. However, wood and forest product exports in 2022 still reached 16.923 billion USD, exceeding 3.8% of the plan, up 6.1% compared to 2021. In particular, exports of wood and wood products reached 16.01 billion USD, up 8.1% compared to 2021.
“In Jan 2023, there were five agricultural – forestry – fishery products with the highest trade surplus including wood and wood products, coffee, shrimp, rice, fruits, and vegetables”.
According to the MARD
Inflation in the world took place strongly from the end of September 2022, negatively affecting the orders for the last months of the wood industry, as well as finding new orders in early 2023. The shortage of orders has caused the export turnover of wood and forest products in Jan 2023 down by up to 30% compared to the same period in 2022.
In contrast, many agricultural products have increased in value in the first month of this year although their export turnovers were down in 2022. For example, the export value of livestock products in Jan 2023 reached 30 million USD, up more than 14% over the same period last year. Meanwhile, the export value of livestock products in 2022 was 400 million USD, down 7.1% compared to 2021.
Regarding cashew nut products, exports in 2022 brought in 3.3 billion USD, down 10.1% in value compared to 2021. By Jan 2023, the export value of cashew nuts reached 226 million USD, up 0.7% compared to Jan 2022.
Regarding vegetables and fruits, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the export turnover of vegetables and fruits in 2022 is 3.3 billion USD, down 5.68% compared to 2021. In January 2023, fruit exports grew strongly with an estimated increase of up to 25% compared to the same period last year.
Fruits became strong export items in the first month of the year thanks to China opening border gates as well as protocols signed at the end of 2022, creating momentum for exports in 2023.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tung, General Director of Vina T&T Group, said that orders of fresh fruit for exports in Jan 2023 recorded a growth of 30% over the same period last year. Notably, grapefruit exports to the United States and durian to China contributed to this growth. Fresh fruits are consumed quickly because partners especially from the Chinese market place orders by day./.