In which the export value of the main agricultural products reached more than USD 1.7 billion, down almost 13% from the same period last year; Seafood export value is estimated at USD 600 million, down almost 31%; The export value of timber and timber products reached USD 1.1 billion, down almost 30% compared to January last year.

Fishery and forest products meet difficulties, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS are bright doors

Many items with a sharp increase in export value in 2022 decreased in export value in the first month of this year.

For example, seafood reached a record $11 billion for the first time in 2022, up 23.8% from 2021. However, seafood exports continue to decline sharply, following the trend of the last quarter of the year. when January 2023 brought in just $600 million, down 31% from January 2022.

Where: shrimp exports exceeded US$169 million, down 46% from the same period last year; Pangasius export was US$107 million, down 50%; Tuna exports totaled nearly $60 million, down 32% from the same period last year.

Timber exports are in a similar situation. Mr. Do Xuan Lap, chairman of the Vietnam Timber and Forest Products Association, said that the timber industry will experience two different periods in 2022, in the first half of the year, export value rose, but in the second half of the year, orders fell, orders lost, companies cut back workforce. However, the export of timber and forest products in 2022 still reached US$16,923 billion, surpassing 3.8% of the plan, up 6.1% from 2021. This year, the export of timber and forest products reached 16.01 USD billion, up 8.1% compared to 2021.

Inflation in the world took place sharply in the period from the end of September 2022, which negatively affected orders for the last months of the year in the timber industry, as well as difficult to find new orders in the last months of the year at the beginning of 2023. The lack of orders resulted in January 2023, a 30% decrease in export sales of wood and forest products compared to the same period in 2022.

On the contrary, many agricultural products have appreciated in value in the first month of this year, although export sales have fallen in 2022. For example, the export value of livestock products is estimated at USD 30 million in January 2023, an increase of more than 14% compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, the export value of livestock products in 2022 is USD 400 million, down 7.1% from 2021.

In terms of cashew, exports will bring in $3.3 billion in 2022, down 10.1% in value from 2021. In January 2023, the export value of cashew reached USD 226 million, increasing 0.7% from January 2022.

In the vegetable and fruit sector, according to statistics from the General Department of Vietnamese Customs, the export turnover of vegetables and fruits is US$3.3 billion in 2022, down 5.68% from 2021. In the morning to January 2023 fruit is exported Exports have grown strongly with an estimated increase of 25% compared to the same period last year.

The reason fruit has become a strong export in the first month of the year is due to the opening of the border gates by China and the protocols signed since late 2022, giving momentum to exports in 2023.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tung, general manager of Vina T&T Group, said that fresh fruit export orders in January 2023 saw a 30% growth compared to the same period last year. In particular, the grapefruits exported to the USA and the durians exported to China contributed to this growth. Fresh fruit products sell quickly, so the partners place new orders every day, especially in the Chinese market.

Persistence in expanding market share in difficult markets

According to the Vietnam Food Association, rice exports reached more than 226,000 tons at nearly US$115 million by mid-January 2023, an increase of over 41% in production and value compared to the same period in 2022.

“Usually, at the end of the season, the price of rice is very low, so importers rely on this price to negotiate the purchase of the winter-spring crop. However, this year, at the end of the harvest, we can sell at a high price, so the contracts signed for the winter-spring harvest in 2023 will have better prices. More importantly, as rice prices rise, farmers have more motivation to expand acreage and improve productivity and quality,” said Mr. Do Ha Nam, vice chairman of the Vietnam Food Association.

Last year, ST25 rice was officially imported and sold in supermarkets in Japan, the Middle East and Europe, even Vietnam’s branded rice was selected to be put in the kitchen of the Japanese cabinet on the quality of the agricultural sector.

Mr. Pham Thai Binh, general manager of Trung An Hi-tech Agriculture Joint Stock Company, said the brand name confirmation in tough markets in early 2023 has provided momentum for Vietnamese rice. An has signed many supply contracts for delivery of rice to the markets of Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Europe, Australia and the United States by the beginning of the second quarter of 2023, with a volume of up to nearly 1,500 containers, equivalent to about 30,000 tons, mainly high-quality rice and fragrant rice.

“Right from Tet 4, my company went back into production to deliver goods to partners immediately. Rice price for export in early 2023 is very high, we sell it at USD 600-1,250/ton, even 100% broken rice sells at up to USD 468/ton,” Mr. Pham Thai Binh said. It is expected that in 2023, rice exporters will gain big.

Mr. Nguyen Chanh Trung, Vice General Manager of Tan Long Group, said that Tan Long’s A An rice brand is present in large markets with high technical requirements such as Japan, Germany, Czech Republic, Sweden… Export of important high-quality rice products such as ST24, ST24 Organic and Japonica to Japan. After Japan, Tan Long will continue to look for opportunities in other potential big markets such as the US and Europe (EU).

According to Mr. Le Ba Anh, deputy director of the Department of Quality Management of Agroforestry and Fisheries (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), China’s border opening, the lifting of the “zero-COVID” policy from the day January 8, 2023, the most beneficial are fresh agricultural products.

However, the Chinese market is no longer an easy market, the standards are becoming more and more difficult, especially there are very unexpected regulations and adjustments for imported seafood.

“Currently, Vietnamese companies can take advantage of geographic advantages, low transportation costs, high demand, etc. to promote exports of agricultural and aquatic products to the Chinese market,” says Mr. Le. Ba Anh