According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Covid-19 pandemic continued to develop complicatedly, unpredictably, spread, and spread rapidly around the world in the first months of the second quarter of 2021, with new strains and significant impacts on the health and economy of many nations, including a major partner of Vietnam.
Agricultural exports will reach $41.2 billion in 2020, up 2.6 percent from 2019 due to the determination and efforts of the government, ministries, branches, and localities, as well as the participation of the business community, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, providing momentum for the market in 2021. The overall value of exports in the first four months of 2021 reached 17.15 billion dollars, up 24.4 percent from the same time in 2020. The overall value of Vietnam's agricultural, forestry, and fishery exports to Asian markets in the first four months of 2021 is expected to have increased by 18.2 percent, to $8.05 billion; America increased by 56.7 percent, to 4.73 billion USD; Africa climbed by 11.8 percent, to 249 million USD; and Oceania increased by 29.2 percent, to 239 million USD; exports to the European region were approximately equal to the same period in 2020, reaching 1.72 billion USD.
Vietnam's seafood exports are expected to reach 601.6 thousand tons with a value of 2.386 billion USD in the first four months of 2021, rising 7.14 percent in volume and 6.06 percent in value compared to the same time period in 2020. In which, shrimp exports increased by 8.03 percent in volume and 9.74 percent in value to 106.3 thousand tons, with a value of USD 944.38 million. Cat fish exports increased by 11.5 percent in volume and 10.5 percent in value to 252.4 thousand tons, with a value of USD 495.6 million; and tuna exports increased by 23.7 percent in volume and 13.16 percent in value to 49.4 thousand tons, with a value of USD 220.4 million. The epidemic is complicated, resulting in higher input costs, particularly in logistics (renting ships, refrigerated containers, etc.); personnel resources for seafood processing have become increasingly rare; Regulations and technological barriers are increasing, leading production costs to rise as the average export price falls, negatively impacting profits and efficiency of seafood production and business.
Faced with the agriculture sector's current dual issues, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development advises ministries, central branches, localities, associations, and corporations to implement a number of solutions at the same time, including: To respond flexibly to the epidemic situation, adjust agricultural production to improve processing, preservation, and circulation. Dry goods, preliminary processing, frozen products, concentrated fruit juices, canned fruit, processed canned seafood, rice, and processed poultry were among the products that agricultural product processing facilities boosted their capacity to focus on. Agriculture industry must devise the most effective post-Covid-19 strategy for the Chinese, EU, and US markets, particularly as summer returns. All inspection procedures, granting GAP certification, organizing production and circulation should be minimized and for assisting farmers in selling agricultural products for home and international usage.
The Directorate of Fisheries has been focused on directing and leading local seafood production from the beginning of the year, focusing on the primary product groups of brackish water shrimp and cat fish to ensure the source of raw materials for the fishery industry in processing and exporting aquatic products; and providing food security for the domestic market in the context of the unpredictable Covid-19 epidemic.
The Directorate of Fisheries is responsible for directing and guiding communities in the production of seafood, with a concentration on vital items such as brackish water shrimp and cat fish , to ensure a reliable source of raw materials for seafood processing and export, as well as guaranteeing food security to meet domestic demand in the face of the unpredictable Covid epidemic; Strengthening input management in aquaculture production; assisting localities in completing the process of awarding farm codes as rapidly as possible; Promoting the use of science and technology, technical advances, digital technology, etc to reduce production costs, boost the competitiveness of aquatic products, and improve traceability; Organizing and efficiently controling the source of raw materials for the exploitation and import of aquatic products in accordance with Vietnam's rules and regulations as well as international best practices, ensuring traceability to create a lawful raw material source for the seafood processing and exporting.
Le Mai (theo tongcucthuysan.gov.vn)