In 2026, the agricultural sector faced intertwined advantages and difficulties. However, in the first 8 months of the year, the agricultural sector still maintained positive growth momentum, continuing to affirm its role as the "support" of the economy, contributing to maintaining macroeconomic stability, ensuring national food security, major balances and promoting sustainable development.
Mr. Tran Gia Long - Deputy Director of the Planning - Finance Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) - said that facing many difficulties and challenges, the entire industry will still maintain a high growth scenario, increasing from 3.7% to 4% in 2026. For the target of exporting agricultural, forestry and fishery products, maintain the target of reaching 74.2 billion USD in 2026.
After 8 months, the export turnover of agricultural, forestry and fishery products reached about 49.3 billion USD, an increase of 7% compared to the same period in 2025. Agricultural products brought in 25.66 billion USD, forestry products 12.57 billion USD, seafood 7.94 billion USD; livestock products reached 511.9 million USD. The whole industry trade surplus reached 14.25 billion USD.
According to the scenario announced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, to achieve the target of export turnover of 74.2 billion USD for agricultural, forestry and fishery products, in the last 4 months of the year, it is necessary to reach 24.9 billion USD. Of which, September needs to reach about 6.2 billion USD; October and November about 6.1 billion USD and December about 6.5 billion USD. Vegetables and fruits and seafood are assessed as 2 key commodity groups with room for growth, with the potential to increase quite well according to the law of high consumption demand at the end of the year to serve Christmas and the New Year.
The vegetable and fruit industry is forecast to reach about 9.5 - 10 billion USD. Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen - Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam Vegetable and Fruit Association - said that to achieve this figure, the most important thing is to comply with market regulations, strictly implement traceability, transparent and clear planting area codes, packaging facilities as well as planting areas.
In the final sprint, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will closely follow the growth scenario of the entire sector, each field (cultivation, animal husbandry, forestry, aquaculture) to restructure crops and livestock and build a scenario to adapt to the diễn biến of natural disasters, especially the El Nino phenomenon. At the same time, continue to promote research and application of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation.
The focus is on restructuring the agricultural and environmental sectors, reorganizing production and the market. The goal is to focus on industries and fields with a lot of room and high demand in the last months of the year (both domestic and export markets) in order to closely follow the 4% growth scenario and the export milestone of more than 74 billion USD in 2026" - Mr. Long emphasized.
In parallel with production, expanding output is one of the solutions emphasized to soon achieve the goal. In the first 8 months of 2026, China, the US and Japan are currently the three largest markets for Vietnamese agricultural, forestry and fishery products. China's market share accounts for 22.7% of total turnover and increased by 22.1% compared to the same period in 2025; the US market share accounts for 19.1% but decreased by 0.4% compared to the same period in 2025 and Japan accounts for 6.8%, an increase of 2% compared to the same period in 2025.
With the above large markets, in the immediate future, it is necessary to ensure standards to unlock and remove bottlenecks, promote exports for industries that have orders, and take advantage of high consumption demand at the end of the year.
The Ministry will also focus on promoting the role of trade counselors and agricultural counselors, through associations and unions to research tastes and expand to very potential markets such as the Middle East, America and markets belonging to the Halal bloc.
