Coffee exports dropped sharply during the first quarter of this year. Data showed that around 350,000 tonnes coffee were exported in the period, worth $734 million, decreasing by 41.4 per cent in volume and 37.3 per cent in value over the same period last year. — Photo dantri.com.vn

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Exports of agricultural, forestry and fisheries products dropped sharply during the first quarter of this year, with major export products posting declines in both volume and value.

According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the export value for March was pegged at US$2.12 billion, bringing the country's total export value to US$6.13 billion in the first quarter, reflecting a year-on-year decline of 13.2 per cent.

Exports of agricultural products were $2.92 billion, falling 15.1 per cent from the same period last year, while fisheries products dropped by 20.6 per cent to $1.27 billion and forestry products fell by 0.4 per cent to $1.5 billion.

Most of the major export products posted a drop in exports, such as coffee, rice and wood products.

Coffee exports dropped sharply during the first quarter of this year. Data showed that around 350,000 tonnes coffee were exported in the period, worth $734 million, decreasing by 41.4 per cent in volume and 37.3 per cent in value over the same period last year.

Rice exports slipped by 28.1 per cent and 32 per cent in export volume and value, respectively. In March, 517,000 tonnes of rice were exported, taking the total rice export volume in the first quarter to 1.01 million tonnes, with a total value of $440 million.

Of note, the fisheries sector has continued with its downtrend since the beginning of this year. The export value of fisheries products was estimated to be $417 million this month.

However, some products saw an increase in exports value despite a drop in export volume, such as tea, cashew and pepper.

The Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Tran Tuan Anh, had said in a recent interview with Cong Thuong (Industry and Trade) newspaper that exports of agricultural, forestry and fisheries products often declined during the first few months due to the impact of the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

He said that normally, exports would increase gradually in the ensuing months and continue to surge till the end of this year and hoped that the export goal of $32 billion in 2015 would be fulfilled.

However, the agricultural, forestry and fisheries sectors needed to enhance the quality of products and build brands to become more competitive in the world market.

Viet Nam's exports of agricultural, forestry and fisheries products reached $30.8 billion last year, up 11.2 per cent from a year ago. — VNS