Rice exports

In the first months of 2020, when Covid-19 broke out, Vietnam’s farm exports to China were nearly stuck, and prices fell dramatically. At that time, the figures about rice exports released by GDC surprised even economists.

Rice exports soared as all big clients of Vietnam increased imports. In the first two months of 2020, Vietnam exported $430.5 million worth of rice, an increase of 31.7 percent in volume and 39.4 percent in turnover compared with the same period 2019.

The rice exports to China alone reached 66,222 tons, worth $37 million. Meanwhile, the figure was 9,534 tons only the same period last year, valued at $4.5 million.

As such, the export volume to China soared by 600 percent (56,688 tons), or 7 times, while the export turnover by 8 times, or 700 percent.

This was an impressive figure for Vietnam’s rice sector if noting that China in recent years has reduced its imports from Vietnam.

Experts say China increased the purchase of rice from Vietnam because its rice output was predicted to drop by 1.8 million tons to 146.7 million tons in 2020. Meanwhile, the Covid-19 pandemic remains unpredictable, which affects goods circulation around the globe with people storing food.

Tuna

Vietnam’s exported 5.5 million tons of tuna in September, an 8,600 percent increase in comparison with the same period last year.

The Vietnam Association of Sefood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) commented that this growth rate was rarely seen in tuna exports.

Explaining the increase, the association said the tuna supply from Ecuador and Solomon was low because of the pandemic, which prompted importers in Europe, especially in Italy, where a canned tuna industry exists, to seek alternative sources.

Meanwhile, EVFTA (EU-Vietnam free trade agreement) took effect, which has helped Vietnam’s products become more competitive.

A tuna export company reported that its total export turnover in the first nine months of the year reached $181 million, of which the EU market brought $46.8 million.

Wooden furniture

The woodwork industry was frozen because of Covid-19 with many exporters reporting a sharp fall of 50-80 percent of orders. However, the industry has made an impressive comeback recently.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan said the total export turnover from timber and wooden products had reached $11.7 billion as of November 2020, an increase of 15 percent compared with the $10.1 billion of the same period last year, while the target for 2020 is $13 billion. 

Tam An

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