Inspiring signs for agricultural exports

Ha Vu Son, director of the Department of Industry and Trade in Can Tho city in the Mekong delta, unveiled that on the first working day after the Lunar New Year break on February 15, Trung An High-tech Farming JSC exported a batch of rice to Malaysia, just one of many export shipments the company had completed in the early days of the year of the dragon.

According to Son, the company shipped 30 containers on February 17 with a further 20 containers of rice going to Malaysia on February 19, with a total volume surpassing 1,000 tonnes.

Also on February 19, another locality in the delta region, An Giang province, announced its first shipment of flat-seeded mangos to South Korea.

This first batch of 13 tonnes of mangos fulfilled a contract signed between Cu Lao Gieng Cooperative and Hoang Phat Fruit Co., Ltd. based in Chau Thanh district.

Hoang Phat Fruit and Tin Tam Trading Investment and Development Co., Ltd. have signed a contract with Cu Lao Gieng Cooperative for 500 tonnes of mangos to be shipped this year.

Earlier, Vina T&T Group based in Ho Chi Minh City completed their first Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practice-standard green-skin mango shipments to Australia and the US, and durian shipments to China.

A source from the company said that successfully breaking into the Australian and US markets upholds the position of An Giang’s specialty mangos in the world’s demanding markets.

“This proves there are great opportunities for exports of local agricultural products in the international market. Our company is endeavouring to bring Vietnamese mangos to more countries globally,” the source said.

Mango-producing firms expect exports this year could easily surpass the $174 million figure seen in 2023.

As for rice exports, last year more than eight million tonnes of rice were exported, yielding nearly $4.7 billion. This year, according to the Vietnam Food Association, rice exports have an advantage as India, the world’s largest rice exporter, has restricted exports to ensure food security. Therefore, rice exports are expected to be worth almost $5.4 billion in 2024.

The export of fruit and vegetables is expected to bring in between $6.5 to 7 billion this year. Last year saw this sector soar almost 67 per cent on-year, to over $2.2 billion.

China is growing as a market for many kinds of agricultural products from Vietnam, including frozen durians, with this fruit in particular expected to remain in high demand for the rest of 2024.

Nguyen Dinh Tung, CEO of Vina T&T Group, said, "I predict that we will see many Vietnamese agricultural products continue to see strong demand, particularly durian, coffee and rice."

Last year, Vietnam raked in $4.2 billion from coffee exports, up 4.6 per cent on-year. This year, the figure is expected to reach $4.6 billion and maybe as much $5 billion, as the price of Robusta coffee climbs high over supply concerns.

The pride of agricultural backbone Vietnam’s agriculture has reaped many achievements last year. Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan writes about how the sector will continue sailing forward in the new year.

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