Workers of Minh Phu Seafood Group in southern Ca Mau Province on a shrimp processing line for exports. The country earns US$3.4 billion from seafood exports in the first six months of the year. — VNA/VNS Photo Huynh The Anh

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Exports of agro-forestry and seafood products were US$2.2 billion in June, bringing the total to $14.6 billion in the first half of the year.

This was an increase of 11.2 per cent over the same period last year, of which export earnings from agricultural products jumped by 6.6 per cent to $7.1 billion, forestry products by 14.9 per cent to $3.01 billion and seafood by 24.4 per cent to $3.4 billion.

Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development showed that products with high growth in both volume and value included coffee, pepper, cashew nuts and seafood. Wood and timber products also showed high growth. Other key products such as rice, rubber, tea, cassava and cassava products witnessed significant decline.

Pepper exports rocketed 36.2 per cent in volume and 47.8 per cent in value during the first six months of the year.

Nguyen Nam Hai, Vice Chairman of the Viet Nam Pepper Association, said pepper export value took fifth place after seafood, wood and wooden products, coffee and rice. The product was listed in the over $1 billion exported items club.

In June, 16,000 tonnes of pepper were shipped abroad, earning $127 million, bringing the total exports for the six-month period to 110,000 tonnes worth $790 million.

The country exported 109,000 tonnes of coffee in June, fetching $229 million, raising the total exports to 1.04 million tonnes worth $2.12 billion (up 31.7 per cent in volume and 24.7 per cent in value) in the first half of the year.

Seafood exports also experienced a high increase with a value of $3.45 billion in six months, including $536 million in June or 24.2 per cent increase.

Truong Dinh Hoe, General Secretary of Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said the high increase of seafood exports in the first half of the year was due to an increase of shrimp export both in quantity and value.

The US has still been the largest seafood importer of Viet Nam in the period, accounting for 23 per cent of the total, followed by Japan and South Korea. Seafood exports were $671.86 million, representing a 46 per cent year-on-year increase.

Products witnessing a sharp decline were rubber (down 33 per cent in value and 11.7 per cent in volume), cassava (down 12.8 per cent in value and 13 per cent in volume) and rice (8 per cent in value and 9.9 per cent in volume).

Only 3.2 million tonnes of rice was sent abroad in the first half of this year, yielding approximately $1.44 billion.

The ministry said total imports of the agro-forestry and fishery in the first half of the year was $10.4 billion. The sector saw a trade surplus of $4.27 billion in the period. — VNS