This information was given at Conference on promoting agricultural, forestry and fishery exports organized by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the morning of December 16, in Ho Chi Minh City.
Mr. Ngo Hong Phong - Director of Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) - said that 2024 is a breakthrough year for Vietnamese agriculture in both production and export. Production value increased by over 3.2%, export turnover of agriculture - forestry - fishery is estimated at over 62 billion USD, an increase of over 18% compared to 2023, with 11 items continuing to maintain an export turnover value of over 1 billion USD. Of which, 7 items reached over 3 billion USD (wood and wood products estimated at 16.1 billion USD; vegetables and fruits estimated at 7.1 billion USD; rice estimated at 5.7 billion USD; coffee estimated at 5.4 billion USD; cashew nuts 4.3 billion USD; shrimp 3.8 billion USD; rubber estimated at 3.2 billion USD). In particular, vegetable exports; Fruits, rice, coffee, cashew nuts and pepper all saw double-digit growth (coffee increased by 56.9%, pepper increased by 53.3%, rubber increased by 24.6%, rice increased by 10.6%). Mr. Phong added that in the coming time, geopolitical fluctuations, military conflicts and especially re-election of President Donald Trump will pose many challenges, including protectionist policies with high tariff barriers, increasingly high technical regulations and requirements for sustainable green development are being posed to many countries exporting agricultural, forestry and fishery products, including Vietnam.
Mr. Nong Duc Lai - Commercial Counselor of Vietnamese Embassy in China - said that Vietnam is among the 10 countries (territories) with the highest number of agricultural and food products warned. Of which, group of seafood, fruit juice (excluding coffee, dairy products) and cakes of all kinds are warned the most.
Therefore, Mr. Nong Duc Lai recommends that Vietnamese authorities need to strengthen management and supervision of quality of exported goods. At the same time, regularly update and disseminate information to businesses about regulations, quality standards, and food safety and hygiene of importing countries.
Currently, China is still Vietnam's second largest market and there are still many opportunities for our products to be exported to this market of 1.4 billion people. However, businesses need to comply with regulations on quality standards, quarantine testing, packaging and traceability of importing country; focus on brand building; need human resources with professional knowledge, language proficiency and understanding of importing country market... Mr. Lai also noted that businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises looking for partners, need to be equipped with more knowledge and capacity in e-commerce, communicating with partners on social networks...
Mr. Le Van Thiet - Deputy Director of Plant Protection Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) - said that currently, many Vietnamese products are being exported and have affirmed their brands in many large markets around the world. However, businesses need to avoid being subjective and negligent but must be more serious from the production, processing to export stages. "Finding and opening markets is difficult, maintaining markets will be even more difficult. If we do not try and let opportunities and markets slip away, it will be very difficult to reopen them. Accordingly, businesses need to operate more systematically and professionally right from the production stage, ensuring traceability, packaging facilities... in accordance with the regulations of importing countries," said Mr. Thiet.
To continue to maintain stable production and export in the coming time, Mr. Tran Thanh Nam - Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development - recommended that agencies, localities, industry associations and businesses continue to promote restructuring of agricultural sector, prioritizing promotion of industries such as rice, seafood and vegetables towards improving quality and efficiency.
Thereby, it will help ensure production and abundant domestic supply of food and foodstuffs to contribute to controlling inflation. In particular, it is necessary to actively implement tasks and solutions of the Project of 1 million hectares of high-quality rice; direct and guide localities to develop key aquaculture species, marine aquaculture and strictly implement technical regulations in export.
At the same time, supplement policies and mechanisms to support processing development, develop large raw material areas, production - processing and consumption clusters of agricultural products, improve quality, value and competitiveness of agricultural products in domestic and international markets; build value chains for each type of agricultural product, associated with logistics infrastructure development.
In the coming time, we need to focus on removing obstacles and opening new markets with great potential such as Halal Muslim countries, the Middle East, Africa, etc. In which, industry associations must play a leading role in supporting and connecting businesses.
In addition, localities need to focus on training and guidance to improve awareness, skills, and production and business capacity of agricultural producers and traders in accessing market information, producing according to market signals and protecting product brands against defense lawsuits and international trade disputes.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn