He made the request at a meeting with relevant ministries and agencies in Hanoi on October 30 to review the sector’s production, processing, import, export and consumption performance.
Agricultural exports approach annual target amid mounting challenges
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, Vietnam’s agricultural, forestry and fishery exports were estimated at nearly US$63 billion in the first ten months of the year, up 7.8% year on year and equivalent to more than 84% of the annual target. Full-year exports are projected to reach US$75 billion.
Imports of these products were estimated at more than US$44 billion, up 9.2% from the same period last year. As a result, the sector recorded a trade surplus of more than US$18 billion, an increase of 4.7%.
Administrative reforms, particularly those relating to product traceability, planting-area codes and durian exports, have helped support these results.
However, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Vo Van Hung pointed to several persistent challenges, including the concentration of export markets, rising prices for imported inputs and transport, and export prices that have not kept pace with production costs.
Weak links between producers, purchasing businesses, processors and distributors, together with inadequate storage and processing capacity, have also made it difficult to balance supply and demand. Production remains fragmented, and purchasing agreements are not always sustainable.
Meanwhile, importing markets are imposing increasingly stringent technical requirements on product quality and traceability, placing additional pressure on producers and exporters whose capacity to meet the standards varies.
Stronger traceability and market access among key priorities
Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung acknowledged the agricultural sector’s contribution to national economic growth but stressed the need to address the shortcomings.
In his view, the domestic market is vulnerable to seasonal oversupply and falling prices, while exports face uneven market access, changing import policies and increasingly demanding technical barriers. Weak production linkages, limited preservation and processing capacity, and high warehousing, logistics and transport costs further constrain competitiveness.
He instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to work closely with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to closely monitor production, processing and export trends, balance supply and demand, forecast output and harvest seasons, and guide producers towards standards-compliant production.
The ministries were also tasked with stepping up negotiations to open markets and removing technical barriers within the agricultural sector.
Particular emphasis was placed on standardising and digitising data on raw-material supply areas, including crop-growing areas and livestock farms, as well as packing facilities. Better-connected data systems and stricter traceability are needed to prevent fraud, the Deputy Prime Minister said.
He also requested further action to improve technical-barrier monitoring and early-warning capacity, alongside the development of a trading platform for agricultural, forestry and fishery products. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment was asked to propose a plan for the platform in November to support product promotion and sales.
Other priorities include accelerating the application of science and technology and innovation in agriculture, and urgently submitting revisions to regulations on incentives for investment in agriculture and rural areas.
The ministry was also instructed to conduct an overall review of sectoral planning and comprehensively assess the reasons behind steep declines in the prices or export performance of certain agricultural products.
Preparations for supply during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday must be strengthened. Localities should urgently review production, harvesting, processing and consumption plans for key products, while assessing cold-storage facilities, preliminary processing capacity, packing facilities and transport arrangements.
