Vietnam’s revenues from agro-forestry and fishery exports in the first five months of 2016 were estimated at US$12.18 billion, up 4.9 per cent over the same period last year. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) reported that in May the sector’s export revenues hit US$2.32 billion.
The January-May period saw rice shipments down 2.1 per cent but value up 1.2 per cent to more than US$1 billion.
Major rice producers in the world have seen their output decline in the past two years as a result of El Nino while Chinese and Indian demand for rice remains strong.
Since the start of the year, coffee exports have seen strong growth with shipments up 34 per cent to 797,000 tonnes over the past five years, earning US$1.36 billion.
Cashew and rubber also posted solid growth, bringing in US$910 million and US$561 million respectively.
Meanwhile pepper export revenues in the first five months of the year fell 7.3 per cent to US$627 million despite a 19 per cent increase in shipments.
