Of the sum, shipments of agricultural products reportedly accounted for US$2.7 billion, while the remainder came from forestry, posting year-on-year rises of 32 per cent and 21 per cent, respectively.
In May alone, Vietnam reportedly fetched $765 million from selling agricultural and forestry products abroad, 20 per cent higher than last May, including $546 million from agricultural exports and $203 million from forestry products.
The increase of export revenue was mostly attributed to solid growth in coffee, pepper, and wooden product exports, the ministry said.
Coffee leads the list with export value of nearly $1.1 billion, accounting for 42 per cent of total agricultural export value and double the revenue of rice exports, thanks to soaring global market prices, especially at the end of May.
Rubber, cashew nuts and pepper exports grew from 8-27 per cent, compared to the same period last year, with a value of $433 million, $197 million and $110 million, respectively.
Agricultural products with high export value include tea, with 37,000 tons in volume worth $34 million, up 10.1 per cent and 6.1 per cent on-year, respectively.
Meanwhile, rice, one of the country’s key export items, saw volume of more than 1.8 million tones, earning as little as $580 million. This was down 21 per cent in volume and 9 per cent in value against the same period last year.
The decline results from difficulties in leasing rice transport ships, an increase in freight charges, and bad weather hindering the loading of rice onto ships.
In related news, Vietnam last year earned a total $7.16 billion from selling agricultural and forestry products abroad. The figure is expected to increase to $8 billion this year and is set at $11 billion by 2010 and $16.5 billion for ten years later.
The agriculture sector, accounting for 20.9 per cent of Vietnam’s GDP, has developed its commodities over the past years by improving the quantity and quality of agricultural products to meet international export requirements.
The country currently ranks among the world’s biggest exporters of rice, coffee, pepper, and cashew