Positive indications from the cattle, fisheries, and forest product sectors

DNHN - According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the worldwide economic prognosis for 2022 is expected to be around 3-3.6 per cent, which is lower than earlier projections.

According to Mr Nguyen Van Viet, Director of the Planning Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the area of perennial crops nationally would reach 3.69 million hectares by the end of June 2022, an increase of 52.6 thousand hectares over the same period last year.

Fruit trees account for 1.17 million ha, a 25.8 thousand ha rise; industrial plants account for 2.2 million ha, a 17.2 thousand ha increase; and other perennial plants account for 61.3 thousand ha, a 2.2 thousand ha increase.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will work closely with other ministries and sectors in the first six months of 2022 to implement measures to manage and stabilize the price of animal feed, cut production costs, and reduce losses.

As a result, overall meat production totals 3.4 million tons. In which the cow herd expanded by 2.2 per cent; meat output increased by 4.4 per cent to 241.2 thousand tons, and milk production increased by 10.1 per cent to 617.8 million litres.

The pig herd expanded by 3.8 per cent, while live meat production increased by 5.7 per cent to around 2.12 million tons. Poultry flocks expanded by 1.2 per cent; live meat output increased by 5.2 per cent to 980.7 thousand tons, and egg production increased by 4.8 per cent to 8.8 billion eggs.

Although there are several export obstacles for the seafood business as a result of the Covid-19 infection and high gasoline prices hurting fishing, the CPTTP and EVFTA incentives have been implemented. As a result of the effective implementation, seafood exports surged dramatically.

Total fishery production reached roughly 4.2 million tons in the first six months of the year, up 2.5 per cent over the same period in 2021. In which case, fishing output was 1.93 million tons, a 2.6 per cent decrease, and marine exploitation was 1.84 million tons, a 2.8 per cent decrease.

Cultivation output increased by 7.4 per cent to 2.27 million tons, with fish increasing by 6.5 per cent to 1.55 million tons and shrimp increasing by 11.3 per cent to 448.4 thousand tons.

In terms of export outcomes, Mr Nguyen Van Viet stated that there are currently 9 items and groupings of products with a high export value of more than one billion USD, including coffee, rubber, cashew, vegetables, rice, pangasius, shrimp, wood products, and production inputs.

Although the export amount of pepper declined (to 125 thousand tons, a 19.1 per cent decrease), the export value grew due to a 40.9 per cent increase in the average export price (reached 566 million USD, up 14 per cent).

Other items that gained in value mostly owing to the increased volume included wood and wood products (up 2.8 per cent), rattan, bamboo, and carpets (up 481 million) (up 8.2 per cent).

With an export turnover of approximately 7.61 billion USD, the United States is the top market in terms of exports (up 7.9 per cent and accounting for 27.3 per cent of total export value). China is the second-largest export market, accounting for 17.8 per cent of total export value, with a turnover of around 4.97 billion USD, up 5.9 per cent.

Despite favourable outcomes, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan openly acknowledged various limitations and shortcomings in the agricultural, forestry, and fishery industries.

That is, the concretization and implementation of policies to promote production and business, as well as to link production with consumption of safe agricultural goods and food, is still delayed in some areas, and output and scale are still limited. Difficulties arise when input materials are imported from other countries. Furthermore, the cost of feed, fertilizer, etc… has risen.

Fishery exploitation is hampered by rising fuel prices, which result in high production costs, whereas agricultural product prices have risen but are lower, impacting producers' income, livelihood, and quality of life. Agricultural trade promotion and market opening agreements are rarely conducted online.

"There are times when the methods of exporting and importing agricultural products through the northern border gates are still congested, generating many challenges for production, commerce, and farmers," Minister Hoan highlighted. It was also noted that the disbursement of public investment funds was significantly lower than in the same period last year, both in percentage and absolute terms. Furthermore, the exorbitant cost of construction materials hampered project completion.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development stated that the global economic outlook in 2022 is expected to expand by 3 - 3.6 per cent, which is lower than earlier projections. As a result, prices climbed and inflation became a global phenomenon. Furthermore, the global geopolitical and economic climate is becoming more volatile, posing new challenges to the global economy.

Difficulties and obstacles resulting from the influence of input prices and rising food and food prices as a result of supply chain disruptions; diseases affecting people, plants, and animals with the potential for epidemics.

The Covid-19 pandemic alters demand and consumption patterns, particularly in the home market, necessitating a suitable transformation in production organization and reorganization of distribution routes that connect supply and demand. All of these challenges will have an impact on Vietnam's agriculture sector in the second half of this year.

PV