Vietnam exports growth in 11 months




Ha Noi, Nov. 28 (VNA) -- Viet Nam earned nearly USD 13 billion from exports in the past 11 months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 25.2 percent, according to the General Statistics Office.

Export earnings saw remarkable increases in recent months, reaching a monthly average of USD 1.2 billion. In November alone, the country turned over more than USD 1.3 billion.

These achievements were made possible by the State's improved management policy and marketing efforts and enterprises' strengthening production capacity and increasing quantity of for-export goods.

Almost all key export commodites overfulfilled the yearly plan. Worthy of note were earnings from exports of crude oil, USD 3.2 billion (up by 76 percent as compared to the same period last year); seafood, more than USD 1.3 billion (up 48 percent); electronic appliances and computers, USD 739 million (up by 40 percent); fine arts and handicraft articles, USD 218 million (up 46 percent); and vegetables, USD 176.7 million (up 80 percent).

Other commodities and products attaining remarkable increases included textile and garments, USD 1.65 billion or a 4.8 percent year-on-year increase; footwear, USD 1.27 billion or a 3 percent increase; pepper, more than USD 142 million or a 5.4 percent increase, and tea, USD 46.7 million or an increase of 17.5 percent.

Earning from exports of rice, coffee and coal were down on last year. The country exported 3.34 million tonnes of rice in the past 11 months of this year, earning USD 643 million. This amounted to only 65.4 percent of the figure from the same period last year. Though coffee exports increased 46.7 percent in quantity, earnings were equal to just 87 percent of the previous corresponding period. This resulted from falling rice and coffee prices and lower demand.

In the reviewed period, enterprises nationwide imported nearly USD 13.8 billion worth of goods, 31.8 percent more than the same period last year.

The largest import categonries, by value, were machinery, equipment and accessories, nearly USD 2.3 billion; gasoline, USD 1.8 billion, and raw materials for the textile, garment and leather sectors, USD 1.17 billion.

Strong increases were also recorded in the import of motorbike and automobile components while cloth and pesticide imports dropped.--VNA