Exports of Vietnam’s agriculture and aquatic products to the UAE experienced well growth early this year

According to the Vietnam Trade Office in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the total two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and the UAE reached US$ 809 million in the first two months of this year, up 58% over the same period in 2020.

In particular, the export turnover from Vietnam to the UAE has reached approximately US$ 737 million, up to almost 60%, while the import turnover has reached US$ 72 million, up 44%.

Agriculture and aquatic products exported to the UAE in the first two months of the year have all received positive increases. Principally, cashew nuts reached US$ 10.3 million, an increase of nearly six times over the same period last year. Moreover, there are aquatic products, which reached US$ 10.6 million, up 18%; fruit and vegetable products reached US$ 7.5 million, up 12%, and pepper products reached US$ 4.8 million, up 17%. These are all Vietnam’s key export commodity groups, with high added value and sustainability in exports.

The UAE is one of Vietnam’s 10 biggest export partners in the world and is Vietnam’s biggest export partner in the Middle East and Africa regions.

By virtue of favorable geographical location as well as flexible and effective foreign trade policies and modern infrastructure, the UAE is considered a gateway to get into the Middle East and Africa regions. 80% of goods are imported to the UAE for re-export to a third country.

On the other hand, with the normalization of relations between the UAE and some Middle East countries such as Qatar, Israel, Vietnamese goods exported to the UAE market will have more opportunities to re-export goods to these markets.

The UAE is a country that has extreme climatic elements, hot weather all year round as well as soil conditions which are mainly desert, not suitable for cultivation. As a result, in order to ensure food security and to meet the needs of the people and tourists, the UAE has to import a massive amount of food and provisions from all over the world. This is an opportunity for Vietnam to boost the exportation of agricultural and aquatic products to this market.

In 2020, the total export turnover of Vietnam’s goods to the UAE was US$ 3.9 billion. Notably, aquatic products’ exports to the UAE reached US$ 50 million, fruit and vegetable products reached US$ 42 million, pepper US$ 30 million, rice US$ 25 million, cashew nuts US$ 20 million, tea US$ 2.6 million,…