AsemconnectVietnam - Although agricultural, forestry, and fisheries exports continued to increase in the first four months of 2026, many key products are under pressure due to decreased demand and increased import standards.

Agricultural, forestry, and fisheries exports reached over US$23 billion in the first four months of 2026.
Exports maintain growth, but not unevenly
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in the first four months of 2026, agricultural, forestry, and fisheries production continued to maintain stability, creating a foundation for domestic consumption, processing, and export.
In particular, crop production remained basically stable, with many types of fruit trees and perennial industrial crops showing considerable growth. Pig and poultry farming developed thanks to good disease control and consumer markets. Fisheries continued to grow, while forestry maintained its development momentum in both afforestation, forest protection, and timber harvesting. Despite some localized difficulties, the results of the first four months of the year show that the industry has maintained a relatively stable supply for both domestic and export markets.
In 2025, total export turnover of agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products reached US$70.64 billion, an increase of 12.9% compared to the previous year. In the first four months of 2026, export turnover reached US$23.04 billion, an increase of 5.4% compared to the same period in 2025; imports reached US$17.65 billion, an increase of 12%; the trade balance continued to maintain a surplus.
Regarding markets, Asia continued to be the largest export region, accounting for 44.1% of total turnover. China, the United States, and Japan were the three largest export markets for Vietnamese agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products in the first four months of the year. Notably, exports to China increased by 28.8%, while exports to the United States decreased by 4.8%.
In the agricultural sector, fruits and vegetables reached US$2.05 billion, an increase of 21.6%, with durian continuing to be a prominent growth driver. Seafood reached US$3.54 billion, an increase of 10.4%; pepper saw strong growth in both volume and value; cassava and cassava products increased significantly thanks to demand from China. Meanwhile, wood and wood products decreased by 1.1%; rice decreased in both volume and value; cashew nuts decreased slightly; and tea decreased in volume.
Focus on improving quality and diversifying export markets
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, current growth results are not truly uniform and still contain elements of unsustainability. Some commodities experienced growth mainly due to seasonal factors or a partial recovery of the world market, while many sectors still face significant pressure from prices, logistics, technical barriers, and changes in import policies.
In particular, the fact that some commodities like rice and coffee have increased in volume but decreased in value shows that the growth model based on production and raw exports is revealing its limitations. In this context, the Ministry has determined that future growth must be based on quality, standards, branding, traceability, and added value, rather than focusing solely on production volume.
The Ministry also warned of a series of challenges in the coming period, such as prolonged geopolitical conflicts impacting input cost fluctuations, increasing trade protectionism, and markets tightening green standards, traceability, and emissions. Furthermore, many industries remain heavily dependent on a few key markets, while the production-processing-export chain lacks strong linkages.
According to the targets set by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in 2026, the exports of wood and wood products are expected to reach US$17.7 billion, an increase of 2.15% compared to 2025. Fruits and vegetables are expected to continue their high growth momentum with a turnover of approximately US$9.81 billion, an increase of 14.62%.
The exports of seafood are targeted to reach over US$12 billion, an increase of 6.63%; coffee US$9.64 billion, an increase of 8.03%; and cashew nuts US$5.42 billion, an increase of 3.65%. For other product categories, the exports of tea are expected to reach US$239 million, a slight increase of 0.42%; cassava and cassava products at US$1.34 billion, an increase of 6.3%. Livestock products are targeted for export turnover of approximately US$686 million, an increase of 7.69% compared to 2025.
To achieve the export target, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has proposed several groups of solutions, from short-term to long-term, such as closely monitoring market developments, supporting businesses in coping with difficulties in logistics and credit, promoting focused trade promotion, and expanding into new markets. The Ministry also determined to continue restructuring the industry towards improving quality, increasing the proportion of deep processing, diversifying export markets, and effectively exploiting potential markets such as Halal, the Middle East, Africa, and South America.
CK
Source: VITIC/congthuong.vn