July 16, 2010

Vietnamese agricultural imports rise in H1

The country spent US$6.38 billion to import these products during the first six months, up 36.3% over the same period last year, the ministry reported.

In both import value and volume, wheat reached the highest growth. Vietnam imported 1.2 million tonnes of wheat, worth US$289 million, in six months. These numbers represented an increase of 70% compared with the last half year.

These products were mostly imported from China and the US. The ministry also reported an increase in other products including pork. About 60,000 tonnes of pork was imported in the first six months of this year, a dramatic increase on last year's annual total of 90,000 tonnes. This indicates improved demand and concern over domestic pork produce in the aftermath of blue-ear pig disease.

Fertiliser bucked the trend with a downturn in both import value and volume. The first half of the year saw a 50% reduction compared to the same period last year. Many companies stopped importing fertiliser because of high prices.

High import value on agricultural products was a big surprise to many people because Vietnam is an agricultural country. However, to some experts, this situation is likely to continue in the future.

"The situation will continue in the next 5-10 years. The country will still have to import materials such as fertiliser and pesticide to produce key agricultural products," said Pham Tat Thang, an expert from the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

In order to avoid this situation, Thang suggested the application of advanced technologies to improve the quality of agricultural products. An effort needed to be made to broaden production and prioritise special agricultural and aquaculture products to meet domestic demand.

"Ministries and sectors should care about the quality of domestic products and food hygiene," he concluded.