The cultivation sector aims to gross over 21 billion USD in export turnover in 2018, representing a year-on-year rise of 2.2-2.3 percent, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Dragon fruits for exports

Localities will continues shifting their plant structure to grow more profitable crops adaptive to climate change such as corns, vegetables and fruits and developing aquaculture, especially in the northern, south central, and Central Highlands regions.

The Mekong Delta, in particular, will boost the application of high technology to create new varieties of fruits, vegetables and flowers as well as develop processing and post-harvest preservation technologies.

This year, the country aims to increase the fruit plant area to about 930,000 hectares and create high added value products. Each locality will develop large-scale fruit areas ensuring good agricultural practices (GAP) and food safety in addition to high-technology vegetable and flower production, focusing on major cities.

The agricultural industry will improve rice quality and reduce its production cost via intensive cultivation.

Industrial crop growing areas such as coffee, rubber, tea and cashew nut will be gradually reduced to 645,000 hectares, 950,000 hectares, 132,000 hectare and 300,000 hectares, respectively.

Vietnam earned a record of some 3.45 billion USD from fruit and vegetable exports in 2017, rising by 40.5 percent from last year.

China, Japan, the US and the Republic of Korea were among the biggest importers of Vietnamese fruits and vegetables. - VNA