Vietnam’s agricultural, forest and seafood products saw a 3.1 percent rise in export value in the first quarter of this year to hit 3.47 billion USD, said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
In March alone, the nation earned 1.2 billion USD from exporting these products, the ministry said.
In the first quarter, the export value of farm products increased 11.28 percent to 1.97 million. The value of seafood declined 7 percent to 744 million USD and fell 22.82 percent for forest products to 572 million USD.
The nation saw a 10.5 percent year-on-year increase in tea export values, which hit 29 million USD in the first quarter of this year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).
In March alone, the export value of tea reached 11 million USD.
Nguyen Kim Phong, chairman of the Vietnam Tea Association, said tea was one of the few items which saw an increase in export value during the first quarter.
Vietnam’s tea industry planned to export 117,000 tonnes of tea this year, earning 176 million USD, said Phong.
Tea export values were expected to jump 13.6 percent this year, he said, making tea one of the few industries which can raise the bar on export targets.
To reach this goal, the industry must improve the quality of the products, hygiene and food safety, Phong said.
The sector would try to resume exports of tea to Iraq, in addition to maintaining current export markets.
The industry was targeting a sustainable development strategy, including the modernisation of tea processing, Phong said.
Vietnam exports tea products to 110 countries and territories under the trademark of CheViet, which is registered and protected in 70 countries and territories. Vietnam is the fifth largest producer and exporter of tea in the world.