In addition to durian, Vietnam and Thailand are becoming the two leading countries in the world for another agricultural product, cassava. Vietnam currently ranks second in the world for cassava and cassava product exports (after Thailand). The average export value from 2013 to now is over one billion USD, peaking at 1.35 billion USD per year, ranking fourth after rice, coffee, and cashew nuts.
According to statistics from the General Department of Customs, Vietnam’s exports of cassava and cassava products in February 2025 reached over 428,000 tons with a value of over 134 million USD. This is a significant increase of 44.8% in volume and 35.4% in value compared to January.
In the first two months of the year, this item has brought in over 233 million USD with more than 723,000 tons. This is an increase of 14.9% in volume but a decrease of 19% in value compared to the same period in 2024.
Vietnam ranks second in the world for cassava and cassava product exports.
In terms of the market, in the first two months of the year, China continued to be the largest customer of Vietnamese cassava, with over 692,000 tons, worth more than 219 million USD. This was an increase of 15% in volume but a decrease of 19% compared to the same period last year. The average price was 317 USD/ton, down 30%.
In second place is Taiwan (China) with over 7,000 tons, worth more than 2.8 million USD, a decrease of 22% in volume and 46% in value compared to the second quarter of 2024. The average price is 379 USD/ton, a decrease of 31%.
Notably, cassava exports to Malaysia witnessed a three-digit growth. In the first two months of the year, Vietnam exported over 5,300 tons of cassava to Malaysia, with a turnover of 2.1 million USD. It marked a strong increase of 137% in volume and a 76% increase compared to the same period last year. However, the price dropped significantly, only 393 USD/ton, corresponding to a decrease of 26%.
By 2023, Vietnam has 43 provinces growing cassava, concentrated in five key regions: the Northern Midlands and Mountain, the North Central Coast, the South Central Coast, the Central Highlands, and the Southeast, with an area ranging from 520,000 to 550,000 hectares, a yield of 19-20 tons/ha, and a production of over 10 million tons.
Since the beginning of the year, the consumption of cassava starch has been gloomy. Although the inventory of cassava starch in China is very low, Chinese traders do not plan to purchase large quantities for storage like in previous years. This has pushed the current inventory levels at cassava processing plants to higher than usual. The price of fresh cassava has sharply decreased due to difficulties in the export market, primarily to China. The export price of cassava slices has also decreased compared to the end of last month.
Many cassava slice traders may reduce their inventory for the 2024-2025 season by 20-30% compared to the 2023-2024 season. The current price of cassava slices is very low compared to the price of corn and wheat. Accordingly, animal feed plants may use more cassava slices in the coming time.