Global economic recovery led to a slight increase in export earnings for the first two months of the year, Nguyen Thanh Bien, deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, said at a meeting in HCM City on Thursday
About US$8.9
billion, or a rise of 0.1 per cent over the same period last year, was
recorded.
High growth
rates were seen in many sectors, including the seafood sector, which rose by
19.3 per cent, rubber by 64.8 per cent, wood and wooden products by 29.2 per
cent, and garments and textiles by 16.8 per cent.
Exports from
the foreign-invested sector reached $4.24 billion, or a 39 per cent
year-on-year increase.
However, the
domestic economic sector saw a slowdown in exports, reaching $4.67 billion, or
a decrease of 20 per cent.
But the
recovery has not been stable, with prices of agricultural products such as
coffee and rice rising from the same period last year, but dropping compared to
the end of last year, according to Bien.
Challenges
lie ahead for the export sector because of import barriers set by other
countries and competition among other exporters in price, quality, conditions
for delivery and payment.
Higher
interest rates and difficulties in accessing capital from banks have posed
restrictions as well. Meeting attendees asked the Government to offer
preferential loans for production and export and extend the loan terms.
Truong Dinh
Hoe, general secretary of the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and
Processors (VASEP), said the seafood sector was expected to earn US$4.5 billion
from exports this year.
The global
economic recovery would ease the way for more seafood exports, he added.
In addition,
agricultural and forestry products exports to Japan would increase, thanks to
lower tariffs under the Viet Nam-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement.
"The
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing rule set by the European
Commission will affect the seafood sector but I think that we will have
measures to overcome it," he added.
To reach the
export target, Hoe said the sector would focus more on trade promotion
programmes in emerging markets like China, South Korea and Africa as well as in
traditional markets.
Hoe also
asked the Government to ask the US to maintain the US Food and Drug
Administration's oversight of Vietnamese tra and basa fish.
The US is
considering transferring mangement of Vietnamese tra and basa fish to the US
Department of Agriculture, which has a list of catfish imports that must be
more strictly regulated.
Source: VietNamNet/VNS