Farmers harvest coffee in Gia Lai Province. Coffee is a major export product of Việt Nam, bringing $7.88 billion in revenue in January - November. — VNA/VNS Photo Vũ Sinh

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s agro-forestry-fishery sector is harvesting a bumper year, with exports from January to November topping US$64 billion, a 12.6 per cent rise that has already surpassed last year’s full-year record of $62.4 billion, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment reported on Thursday.

Of the total, agricultural exports amounted to $34.24 billion, up 15 per cent, husbandry products $5.674 billion, up 16.8 per cent, fishery products $10.38 billion, up 13.2 per cent and forestry products $16.61 billion, up 5.9 per cent.

Exports in November alone saw a slight drop of 3.7 per cent against the previous month to $5.8 billion but rose 8.4 per cent year-on-year.

Ministry statistics showed that the country imported a total of $44.45 billion in the 11-month period, up 10.1 per cent, resulting in a trade surplus of $19.55 billion, 19 per cent higher than in 2024.

Asia remained the largest export market for Việt Nam’s agro-forestry-fishery products, accounting for more than 45 per cent of total export turnover, followed by the Americas and Europe.

Shipments to most regions saw increases, with exports to Europe rising by nearly 35 per cent and to Africa by more than 77 per cent, highlighting the significant untapped potential in these markets.

For individual markets, China was the largest buyer with a share of 22 per cent of Việt Nam’s total agro-forestry-fishery exports, followed by the US with a share of 20.5 per cent and Japan 7 per cent.

Coffee took centre stage with an export volume of 1.4 million tonnes, up 14.1 per cent, bringing in $7.88 billion in revenue, a 59.7 per cent increase driven by rising export prices. Coffee export prices averaged $5,667.6 per tonne, up nearly 40 per cent.

Germany, Italy and Spain are Việt Nam’s largest coffee buyers while exports to Mexico surged 26.1 times.

Fruits and vegetables grew 19.5 per cent to $7.91 billion, fuelled by strong demand from China and expansion into the US. Cashew nuts and pepper also recorded higher export values, supported by rising prices.

These commodities have benefited from increasing global prices and stable or expanding demand in major markets, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, rice, tea and rubber experienced significant declines. Rice exports dropped 11.5 per cent in volume to 7.5 million tonnes and 27.7 per cent in value to $3.83 billion due to stiff competition and price fluctuations in the global market.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phùng Đức Tiến said Việt Nam’s agro-forestry-fishery exports could reach a record $70 billion for the full year, with a trade surplus of $20 billion.

The ministry will continue focusing on market expansion alongside efforts to develop green and sustainable value chains, he said. Supports would also be provided to enterprises to meet technical requirements, IUU inspections and adapt to international tariff policies. — VNS