Many businesses visit Quang Phu Commune, Tho Xuan Distrcit in the central province of Thanh Hoa to buy casava. — VNA/VNS Phto The Duyet

HCM CITY (Biz Hub) — Export of cassava and cassava products plunged by 18.2 per cent to US$1.1 billion last year, according to the General Department of Customs.

Volumes were down almost 30 per cent to 3.1 million tonnes.

China bought almost the entire thing, accounting for $847.9 million of the exports.

Viet Nam was the second largest cassava exporter last year behind Thailand.

In recent years cassava has become one of the products with high export value, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The export of cassava and cassava products was worth $952 million in 2011, a whopping 70 per cent rise from 2010, and it went up by another 41 per cent in 2012.

So much so cassava and cassava products were the seventh largest export staple in 2013.

Viet Nam has 560,000ha under cassava cultivation and the output last year was 9.4 million tonnes.

Around half of it is consumed domestically.

In the 2001-11 period, the area under cassava increased by an average of 6 per cent a year.

Viet Nam's yield is 17.6 tonnes per hectare, or the world's 10th highest. — VNS