Mushroom production in Long Khanh Town, Dong Nai Province. — Photo baodongnai.com.vn

DONG NAI (Biz Hub) — The southern province of Dong Nai has reported a lower export growth rate that expected in the first seven months of the year.

In the period its exports were worth US$8.7 billion, an increase of 4.35 percent year-on-year, while, for the full year, its People's Committee has set a growth target of 11-12 percent.

Duong Minh Dung, deputy director of the province's Department of Industry and Trade, attributed the low rate to falling prices of many goods.

A fall in orders from Europe and Japan, especially for furniture, has also had an impact on the exports.

According to the People's Committee, shipments by foreign firms and non-State-owned enterprises have been rising at very low rates, 4.71 percent in the case of the former and 1.63 percent in the case of the latter.

But exports by State-owned enterprises grew at a robust 12.7 percent.

Goods that continued to see solid growth in exports were coffee, which increased 24.7 per cent to US$353 million, footwear (20.8 per cent, $1.77 billion) computers and electronic products (10.18 per cent, $254 million), and transportation equipment (7.8 per cent, $452 million).

Garment, fibre, and some other main export items, however, saw low growth rates.

The province's industrial output rose by 8.19 per cent year-on-year. Automobile production increased by 15.3 per cent and leather production by 11.2 per cent.

The People's Committee expects exports to see better growth in the remaining months of the year since companies are expanding production to meet orders. — VNS