Coffee exports earn Vietnam 1.3 million USD in first 4 months

Vietnam exports nearly 690,000 tonnes of coffee for 1.3 million USD in the first four months of 2018. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam exported nearly 690,000 tonnes of coffee for 1.3 million USD in the first four months of 2018, up 17.2 percent in volume and down 0.1 percent in value from a year ago.

In April, Vietnam shipped 160,000 tonnes of coffee abroad, earning 304 million USD, up 18.7 percent but down 0.6 percent, respectively, year on year. 

This month’s coffee prices averaged about 1,900 USD per tonne, down 1.7 percent from March and 16.2 percent compared to the same period of 2017.

The average price in January – April was estimated at 1,933 USD per tonne, down 14.7 percent.

Last quarter, coffee exports experienced a similar pattern as the country shipped up to 520,000 tonnes of coffee abroad for only 1 billion USD, up 15.1 percent in volume but down 1.7 percent in value year on year.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Germany, the US, Indonesia, Italy and Japan were among Vietnam’s key export markets. The country aims to export a total of 1.5 million tonnes for the 2017 – 2018 crop.

Vietnam exported 1.4 million tonnes last year for 3.2 billion USD. The country’s exports were down sharply last year due to a fall in output because of the impact of climate change, but thanks to high prices, the export value was down by only 2.7 percent over 2016, according to the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association.

Vietnam is the second largest exporter behind Brazil. The country’s coffee industry has carried out a restructuring programme to improve its competitiveness by improving productivity, quality and value.

Under the programme, the country plans to keep coffee growing area at 600,000ha and focus on planting new trees with higher productivity and quality.