Coffee exports earn Vietnam US$1.3 million in first 4 months

Vietnam exports nearly 690,000 tonnes of coffee for US$1.3 million in the first four months of 2018.

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

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

The average price in January – April was estimated at US$1,933 per tonne, down 14.7%.

Last quarter, coffee exports experienced a similar pattern as the country shipped up to 520,000 tonnes of coffee abroad for only US$1 billion, up 15.1% in volume but down 1.7% 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 US$3.2 billion. 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% 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.