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Agriculture to face the “bottom point” of difficulties
Climate changes, natural calamities, epidemics, brutal competition, the global financial crisis and economic regression will hurt the Vietnamese agriculture sector in 2009, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Cao Duc Phat, at a meeting on Monday.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s report, Vietnam hit a record of food output in 2008, with 43.16 million tons, 3 million more tons than 2007. Particularly, rice output rose by 2.7 million tons, reaching the highest figure so far.
Export revenue for agricultural-forestry-fishery products this year is estimated at $16.24 billion, a growth of 22.7% compared to 2007. The products of rice and seafood have had the highest growth rates. Especially, seafood export revenue, which for the first time has exceeded $4 billion ($4.5 billion).
The Chairman of the Vietnam Food Association, Truong Thanh Phong, said Vietnam has signed contracts to export 5.1 million tons of rice, and 4.65 million tons have been shipped abroad. It is estimated that by the end of December 2009, the volume will reach 4.7 million tons, worth $2.9 billion, doubling that of 2007.
Phong said agricultural production in 2008 “attained a big victory,” but he said 2009 would be the “bottom point” of difficulties for Vietnam’s agriculture.
It is forecasted that 2009 will be a very hard year for the sector, with direct and strong impacts from the global economic crisis.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, therefore, slashed the goal of growth for agricultural-forestry-fishery sector to 2.8% and the total export turnover to $12.5 billion in 2009.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade predicted that in 2009, stockpiled agricultural product volume would be large and reserves will increase, so Vietnam needs to keep a close eye on the global market to have appropriate production plans. The Ministry foresees that at the end of 2009, the market will be brighter because big importing countries of agricultural products will run out of reserve by the end of the second quarter.
Tien Phong
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