At a press conference on September 16, the ministry reported that the sector’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP) grew 4.06% in the second quarter and 3.87% in the first half, exceeding the Government’s targets of 3.8% and 3.7%, respectively.
In the first six months, agriculture’s added value increased 3.57%, forestry 3.98% and fisheries 4.88%. Livestock production also expanded, with pig and poultry herds rising 4.2% and 2.8%, respectively.
Fishery output reached 6.95 million tonnes in the first eight months, up 3.8%, while timber production rose 6.5% to 16.66 million cubic metres. Rice production faced declines in several crops, reflecting reductions in planted areas.
Exports remained a major bright spot, rising 7% year on year to 49.3 billion USD. Agricultural products accounted for 25.66 billion USD, forestry products 12.57 billion USD, fishery products 7.94 billion USD, and livestock products 511.9 million USD. Imports reached 35.06 billion USD, up 8.1%.
China remained the largest export market, with shipments worth 11.2 billion USD, up 22.1%. Exports to the US stood at 9.4 billion USD, down 0.4%, while those to Japan reached 3.3 billion USD, up 2%.
For the final four months, the ministry is targeting annual growth of 4% for the agricultural, forestry and fishery sector and exports of 74 billion USD. It will focus on boosting production and value addition, expanding markets, removing technical barriers and strengthening traceability.
The ministry has also launched a traceability software system, while continuing efforts to address illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing warnings and accelerate the issuance of codes for growing areas and packing facilities.
