Face many challenges
In 2025, Vietnam's agricultural sector will face major challenges as key export markets continuously apply new regulations, posing significant barriers for domestic businesses and farmers.
Take durian, one of Vietnam’s main export products. At the beginning of the year, China (the main consumer market of Vietnamese durian) applied the O-yellow quarantine regulation, in addition to the previous Cadmium inspection certificate. This regulation arose from the discovery of O-yellow chemical residues in batches of durian imported from Thailand.
This has caused many businesses to struggle, forcing many container trucks carrying hundreds of tons to turn around because they could not clear customs. As a result, the domestic durian price has dropped sharply, from 230,000 VND/kg in the off-season last year to about 90,000 VND/kg now.
This situation lasted from January 17 to the end of January 2025 when many vehicles exporting durian to China were cleared normally as soon as the businesses met the requirements for the O-yellow quality inspection certificate.
According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, fruit and vegetable exports in January 2025 reached 417 million USD, down 11.3% compared to the same period in 2024. The main reason is that the US, EU and Taiwan have tightened pesticide residue checks. Meanwhile, demand from China has decreased due to stricter quarantine regulations, severely affecting the fruit and vegetable industry. In addition, logistics disruptions and high transportation costs have also made it difficult for businesses to complete orders on time.
The rice industry, which is Vietnam’s mainstay of exports, is also in a similar predicament. With high inventories in the Philippines and Indonesia and strong supply from India, Vietnam’s rice export prices have fallen to nearly $400 a ton, the lowest in five years.
Representatives of some rice exporting companies shared that businesses are having difficulty purchasing rice from farmers due to sharp price drops. Rice prices at the fields in the Mekong Delta provinces are currently fluctuating at 6,300-6,700 VND per kilogram, down more than 30-40% compared to the peak price.
Similarly, the seafood industry also faces many challenges. Strict regulations on food safety standards and anti-illegal fishing from the US and EU have forced many businesses to invest in improving technology and production processes to meet requirements.
Quality control goes hand in hand with market expansion
Providing recommendations to export enterprises, Deputy Director of the Import-Export Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) Tran Thanh Hai informed that currently many agricultural products with billion-dollar turnover from Vietnam (coffee, cashew nuts) are being increasingly exported to the US, EU, China markets... so compliance with food safety regulations is of utmost importance to maintain market share.
For fruits and vegetables, the current challenge for this industry is that the supply chain still has many limitations such as: products are easily contaminated with chemicals, violating pesticide residues due to the small and scattered scale of production in many places. These factors lead to uneven quality or lack of market information, making it difficult to apply the standards set by importing countries.
"To continue growing in 2025, businesses need to improve their ability to access and best respond to changes in regulations on importing goods from key markets," Mr. Tran Thanh Hai emphasized.
To achieve the agricultural export target of 64-65 billion USD this year, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has implemented a series of strategies. Notably, it is promoting the application of high technology in production, supporting businesses to upgrade processing procedures and quality control.
In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development coordinates with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to promote the expansion of export markets to potential regions such as the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. In particular, tax incentives and financial support policies are also applied to encourage investment in deeply processed products and build international brands.
Experts say that challenges remain, but the Vietnamese agricultural sector is facing great opportunities to restructure and develop more strongly. With the support of appropriate policies, Vietnam's ambitious export targets are completely feasible, affirming its strength and position in the international market.
The year 2025 is posing unprecedented challenges for Vietnam's agricultural exports. However, along with the challenges are great opportunities for restructuring, innovation and stronger development. The transition from small-scale production to large-scale production, application of high technology, improvement of product quality, brand building and market expansion are urgent tasks.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan
Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/nong-san-chu-luc-xuat-khau-gap-kho-ngay-dau-nam-2025.html
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