To achieve the plan target of agriculture, forestry, and fishery exports exceeding 74 billion USD, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment puts forward multiple important solutions, both short-term and long-term.

Agriculture, forestry, and fishery exports reach nearly 43 billion USD

Reporting at the Conference with industry associations on promoting agriculture, forestry, and fishery exports in the final 6 months of 2026, organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment in Ho Chi Minh City on the afternoon of July 30, 2026, Mr. Ngo Hong Phong, Director General of the Department of Quality, Processing and Market Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, stated that during the first 6 months of 2026, domestic food and foodstuff consumption demand maintained stability; export markets continued expanding thanks to new-generation free trade agreements, creating favorable conditions for agricultural product consumption.

Thanks to the synchronized deployment of direction and governance solutions, overall for the first 6 months of 2026, the entire sector's GDP is estimated to increase by 3.8 - 3.85%, surpassing the target assigned by the Government at the beginning of the year (3.7%), creating an important foundation to strive to complete full-year growth targets and contribute to double-digit growth goals for the economy.

Agriculture, forestry, and fishery exports continue to serve as a bright spot for the sector, affirming a crucial role against a backdrop where the world economy still exhibits many volatilities.

In the first 6 months of 2026, total agriculture, forestry, and fishery (AFF) export turnover reached 35.88 billion USD, up 6% compared to the same period last year. In June 2026 alone, AFF exports were estimated at 6.34 billion USD, up 3% compared to the previous month and up 10.1% compared to the same period in 2025.

The AFF trade balance continues to maintain a surplus, estimated at 9.2 billion USD, down 7.7% compared to the same period last year because import turnover increased faster than exports. Within which, the forestry product group generated a trade surplus of 7.36 billion USD (up 1.4%), aquatic products generated a trade surplus of 4.13 billion USD (up 17%), while the agricultural product group alone retained a trade surplus of merely 1.51 billion USD (down 60.6%) due to export prices of several core commodities (coffee, rice, rubber) falling deeply while raw material import turnover rose sharply.

Cumulatively by the end of July, agriculture, forestry, and fishery export turnover is estimated at nearly 42.6 billion USD, up approximately 7% compared to the same period in 2025 and achieving 57.6% of the target plan set for 2026.

Striving to achieve targets exceeding 74 billion USD

On the basis of first 6-month results and directions from Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung at the Conference reviewing first 6-month work on July 2, 2026, the Agriculture and Environment sector strives to achieve a whole-sector GDP growth target of 4%, total AFF export turnover reaching over 74 billion USD, contributing to double-digit growth goals for the economy.

To achieve export targets exceeding 74 billion USD, the agriculture and environment sector will concentrate on powerfully promoting the export of commodities possessing capabilities to maintain and increase export turnover. These commodities strive to achieve 2026 export plan targets as follows:

• Wood and wood products: reaching 17.7 billion USD, up 2.15% compared to 2025.
• Fruits and vegetables: reaching 9.81 billion USD, up 14.62% compared to 2025.
• Aquatic products: reaching 12.034 billion USD, up 6.63% compared to 2025.
• Coffee: reaching 9.64 billion USD, up 8.03% compared to 2025.
• Cashew nuts: reaching 5.42 billion USD, up 3.65% compared to 2025.
• Tea: reaching 239 million USD, up 0.42% compared to 2025.
• Cassava and cassava products: reaching 1.34 billion USD, up 6.3% compared to 2025.
• Livestock products: reaching 686 million USD, up 7.69% compared to 2025.

Simultaneously, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment continues to monitor tightly and formulate positive solutions for commodity items possessing capabilities to decline in export turnover, such as rice and rubber.

Short-term solutions from now until the end of the year

In the final months of 2026, the world economic and political situation continues to evolve in complex and unpredictable ways. Conflicts and warfare in the Middle East region continue to exert influence, directly impacting energy prices, transport costs, and escalating risks of global supply chain disruptions.

Alongside that, strategic competition among major powers and trade protectionism trends are increasing; nations are strengthening the application of technical barriers, standards on food safety, origin traceability, sustainable development, and emissions reduction...

Domestically, agricultural production continues to maintain stability, yet still bears impacts from climate change, natural disasters, epidemics, and increasingly high requirements from import markets, compelling Vietnam's agriculture, forestry, and fishery exports to adapt in a more fundamental and sustainable direction.

In that context, to promote agriculture, forestry, and fishery exports in the second half of 2026, beside long-term solution groups, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment puts forward multiple short-term solutions.

First is to monitor markets closely, proactively managing flexibly on a monthly and quarterly basis: Possessing mechanisms to update, forecast, and issue early warnings regarding markets, prices, logistics, impacts of geopolitical conflicts, and changes in import policies, particularly for major and traditional markets. Export management must be tightly linked with market information and data from the National Traceability System, avoiding situations of slow reactions and passive handling.

Concentrate on resolving difficulties for commodity sectors facing risks of declining export values: For a number of items exhibiting signs of value decline, it is necessary to deploy immediate solutions to retain markets, restructure product segments, increase processing ratios, expand alternative markets, and support handling obstacles regarding logistics, credit, and customs clearance.

Propose solutions to increase working credit support, debt restructuring, cold storage, and preservation. Prioritize perishable commodity sectors and those reliant on long-distance transport, against a backdrop where regional conflicts in the Middle East and international shipping risks are escalating.

Accelerate focused and key trade promotion: Trade promotion must shift from mere advertising to promotion linked with market opening, technical resolution, import chain connection, distribution channel development, and cross-border e-commerce; prioritizing alternative and supplementary markets such as ASEAN, South Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, in parallel with safeguarding traditional markets.

Accelerate expanding the scope and subjects applying the National Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishery Traceability System: On the basis of operational results from July 1, 2026, continue expanding connections to product groups, enterprises, cooperatives, and production households; promptly rectify issues regarding information safety and data update speeds; and support enterprises and associations in exploiting data to serve negotiations and market openings.

Source: Bao Nong nghiep va Moi truong