Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)
Foreign investors pumped nearly 14 billion USD into the country in the first five months, a year-on-year increase of 0.8 percent.
Of this, nearly 8.83 billion USD went to 613 new projects, up 18.6 percent, while 3.86 billion USD was added to 342 existing projects, up 11.7 percent.
Capital contributions and share purchases by foreign investors fell 56.3 percent to 1.31 billion USD.
The ministry reported that the number of new projects granted investment licences was down 49.4 percent year-on-year.
Foreign investors invested in 18 sectors, with processing and manufacturing absorbing the largest amount, of 6.14 billion USD, or 43.9 percent of the total.
Following was power generation and distribution (5.43 billion USD), real estate (1.05 billion USD), and wholesale and retail sales (522 million USD).
Of 70 countries and territories investing in Vietnam during the period, Singapore led with 5.26 billion USD, followed by Japan with more than 2.59 billion USD and the Republic of Korea (RoK) with 1.83 billion USD.
Localities attracting the most FDI were the Mekong Delta province of Long An (3.35 billion USD), Ho Chi Minh City (1.34 billion USD), and the Mekong Delta’ Can Tho city (1.32 billion USD).
Vietnamese agricultural products favoured in China
Vietnamese agricultural products have won the taste of Chinese consumers in recent years due to their quality as well as improvement in businesses’ supply capacity, a trade promotion official has said with Vietnam News Agency.
Vegetables, coffee, rice, cassava and products made of cassava, and seafood always make a lion share of Vietnamese shipments to China. (Photo: VNA)
Deputy head of the Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade Le Hoang Tai said at an online conference held on May 26 that China is the second largest export market of Vietnam, with export turnover in the first four months of this year topping 16.8 billion USD, up 32.4 percent year-on-year.
Besides, this is the largest source of imports for Vietnam, he said, pointing out purchase from China surged 47.8 percent in the reviewed period amidst the pandemic.
Vegetables, coffee, rice, cassava and products made of cassava, and seafood always make a lion share of Vietnamese shipments to China, he added.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has carried out a wide range of uniform measures to boost exports to China, including food quarantine, origin tracing, brand development and issuance of certificate of eligibility, Tai added.
Local shrimp exports enjoy vigorous growth in second quarter
Vietnamese shrimp exports during the second quarter of the year are anticipated to increase by more than 20% in comparison to the same period from last year, with export value in several major markets witnessing positive growth, reported the Voice of Vietnam.
Illustrative photo
According to details given by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the country’s total shrimp export value during the opening four months of the year rose by 10.2% annually to reach USD961.9 million.
These positive signs can largely be attributed to the great efforts made by local shrimp enterprises to overcome the challenges caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
In April alone, despite enduring a downward trend of 9.4% and 9% in the Chinese and Russian markets, respectively, Vietnamese shrimp exports to major markets enjoyed robust growth.
Throughout the reviewed period, shrimp exports to members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) picked up by 7.6% to reach USD297.2 million, accounting for approximately 31% of the country’s total shrimp export value.
Most notably, Japan became the largest consumer of Vietnamese shrimp, with turnover reaching USD177.9 million, representing a climb of nearly 6%, followed by Australia, with exports to this market rising by 177.4%.
Throughout the reviewed period, the country’s shrimp exports to the United States surged by 24.8% to USD198 million, accounting for 20.6% of overall shrimp exports.
At present, the nation makes up the fourth largest shrimp supplier to the US market, trailed by India, Ecuador, and Indonesia. According to experts, demand in this market for shrimp imports is projected to consistently increase moving forward.
Elsewhere, shrimp imports from the EU are anticipated to experience a downward trajectory during the course of the year.
Despite this forecast, Vietnamese shrimp exports to the fastidious market during the four-month period increased by 8.5% to USD145.7 million, with April alone seeing export value surge by 45.2% to roughly USD50 million.
Meanwhile, shrimp exports to the Chinese market during the reviewed period fell by 9.8% to USD98 million./.