Việt Nam’s exports of agricultural, forestry and fishery products in 2025 recorded positive results, laying an important foundation for 2026 growth targets. 

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Phùng Đức Tiến spoke to Việt Nam News about the sector’s performance in 2025, as well as the opportunities and challenges in 2026 to reach an ambitious export target of US$74 billion.

What were the most notable achievements in Việt Nam's agricultural, forestry and fishery exports in 2025?

2025 was a particularly demanding year for the agriculture and environment sector. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Việt Nam continued to suffer major losses from natural disasters. 

In 2023, damage caused by storms and floods was estimated at around VNĐ5.1 trillion. This figure surged to over VNĐ98 trillion in 2024 and about VNĐ100 trillion in 2025.

Geopolitical conflicts, trade wars in various regions also disrupted supply chains and led to the proliferation of trade barriers. 

Nevertheless, under the leadership of the Party and the Government with coordinated efforts from ministries, sectors, local authorities, the business community, co-operatives and farmers, the agricultural sector demonstrated strong resilience and a flexible capacity in adapting to market changes.

As a result, total export turnover of agricultural, forestry and fishery products in 2025 reached $70.09 billion, up 12 per cent year-on-year. 

Of this figure, agricultural products accounted for $37.25 billion, up 13.7 per cent; livestock products $627.8 million, up 17.4 per cent; fisheries $11.32 billion, up 12.7 per cent; and forestry products and wooden furniture $18.5 billion, up 6.6 per cent. 

Major markets such as China, the US and Japan continued to play a pivotal role, accounting for 22.3 per cent, 20.6 per cent and 7.1 per cent of total exports respectively, all recording solid growth compared with the previous year. 

These figures clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of production restructuring aligned with market demand, as well as the adaptability of Vietnamese enterprises in the face of external shocks.

What are potential opportunities and challenges for agricultural, forestry and fishery exports in 2026?

This year is expected to remain a highly challenging year, potentially even more difficult than 2025. There are many factors that will continue to exert strong pressure on agricultural exports, such as uncertainties in the global economy, rising trade protectionism and increasingly stringent requirements relating to environmental standards, traceability, carbon emissions and food safety.

At the same time, climate change remains a long-term challenge, directly affecting agricultural production, particularly in key areas for crop cultivation, livestock farming and aquaculture. 

The introduction of reciprocal tariffs or new technical barriers by certain major markets also raises the bar for enterprises’ compliance capacity.

However, 2026 also presents several important opportunities. First, the agriculture and environment sector has accumulated experience in reform and production restructuring, building a solid foundation in production organisation, raw material regions and processing capacity. 

Second, market diversification has begun to bear fruit, with exports to Europe and Africa growing by between 34 per cent and 68 per cent, opening up substantial scope for further diversification. 

In addition, Asian, ASEAN, Middle Eastern and niche markets still offer considerable untapped potential.

More importantly, the business community has become increasingly proactive in trade promotion, market-oriented production planning and systematic investment in raw material areas. 

These are the key factors enabling the agricultural sector to overcome difficulties and maintain growth momentum in 2026.

What are key solutions that the sector will implement to realise the export target of $74 billion set for 2026?

Achieving this target in 2026 will require the simultaneous implementation of multiple groups of solutions, with the value chain placed at the centre, from raw material regions through to end markets.

First, the sector will continue to standardise and develop raw material areas based on market orders, expand the allocation of planting area codes and aquaculture pond codes, and strengthen management of input quality, food safety and traceability. 

Organising production in line with GAP, organic and sustainable standards is regarded as a core solution to minimise the risk of warnings and rejected shipments, while enhancing value added for export products.

In parallel, the sector will promote deeper processing and product diversification, prioritising investment in modern processing, preservation and packaging technologies. 

The development of refined and convenience products, as well as the use of agricultural by-products like animal feed, biomaterials and extracts to form new value chains will contribute to increasing both export value and sustainability.

In the logistics sector, efforts will focus on developing cold storage systems, cold chains and regional logistics centres and optimising transport, border gates and seaports. It also will accelerate digitalisation to shorten customs clearance times, reduce compliance costs and enhance enterprises’ competitiveness.

Another crucial solution lies in improving market access capacity and building a national brand for Vietnamese agricultural products. 

The sector will continue negotiations to open markets, remove technical barriers and strengthen forecasting and early warning mechanisms so that enterprises can proactively respond to market fluctuations. 

At the same time, building product brands, geographical indications and segmented marketing strategies will facilitate a shift from exporting raw materials to exporting products with clear origin, standards and higher added value.

The green transformation has been identified as a prerequisite for accessing high-value market segments. Measures including assessing and reducing carbon footprints, promoting circular economy models, low-emissions production and sustainability certification will be vigorously implemented to meet the increasingly stringent requirements of premium markets and retail chains.

An issue of particular concern to the business community and international markets is the process of lifting the IUU fishing 'yellow card'. How is the process of removing the yellow card going?

The removal of the yellow card is a priority task. Recently, under the direct leadership of Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà, head of the National Steering Committee on IUU Fishing Prevention, the Government has held regular meetings with local authorities every Tuesday to review progress, urge implementation and address bottlenecks.

To date, Việt Nam has completed and submitted its report to the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission, while continuing to direct localities to focus on four core areas: vessel management, vessel monitoring, traceability and strict handling of violations. 

In addition to administrative penalties, relevant authorities have pursued 95 criminal cases to deter illegal fishing activities in foreign waters.

Fundamental shortcomings have largely been addressed, as Việt Nam has demonstrated strong determination to comply with the European Commission’s recommendations. 

Việt Nam expects to have the yellow card lifted soon, thus creating more favourable conditions for fisheries exports and enhancing Việt Nam’s credibility in international markets. VNS