Agricultural sector sets targets for 2022

At its regular press conference for the third quarter of 2021, on October 5, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) discussed recent results and set targets for the period to come.

The ministry set a target for agriculture to grow 2.8-3 per cent in 2022 and for export turnover to be $45.5 billion.

The industry has ensured an abundant supply of food and foodstuffs in recent times, meeting needs in both domestic consumption and export.

In the first nine months of 2021, the industry posted growth of 2.74 per cent and contributed 23.52 per cent to the economy’s overall growth, according to Mr. Nguyen Van Viet, Director of the Planning Department at MARD.

Export revenue of agricultural, forestry, and fishery products in the period was estimated at $35.5 billion, up 17.7 per cent against the same period last year.

But import turnover, especially for raw materials for production, also rose sharply, by 41.6 per cent to $32.2 billion. The trade surplus in the first nine months, while reaching over $3.3 billion, was down 55.3 per cent year-on-year.

According to Mr. Viet, in order for the industry to achieve growth of 2.8 per cent this year, the livestock and aquaculture sector must see strong growth in the fourth quarter.

MARD has issued an action plan to remove difficulties and speed up production and export in the fourth quarter, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien said.

The conference also heard that the fisheries segment is of concern, as output, processing, and exports have declined. Mr. Nguyen Quang Hung, Deputy Director of the Directorate of Fisheries, said that the difficulties mainly lie in the goods circulation process.

It also addressed the “yellow card” on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing issued by the European Commission.