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Goods imported and exported through Hai Phong port area. Photo: T.Binh.

By the end of September, the export sector had 2 product groups with a growth turnover of over USD 1 billion and, there were 6 product groups with a decline of "billion dollars", according to information just released by the General Department of Customs.

Impressive fruit and vegetables

The two export commodity groups with the highest growth in turnover are fruits and vegetables and means of transport and spare parts.

Among them, the most impressive is the fruit and vegetable group. In September, exports of this commodity group reached the highest turnover ever with USD 667.5 million, up 43.7% compared to the previous month.

Overall, 9 months reached USD 4.21 billion, an increase of 72.5% (equivalent to an increase of USD 1.77 billion) compared to the same period last year.

Contributing the most to the growth of the fruit and vegetable group is durian. By the end of September, durian products alone reached USD 1.63 billion, more than 14 times higher than the same period last year (the same period in 2022 only reached USD 113 million). This result helps durian surpass many key fruit products such as dragon fruit, watermelon, mango, banana, and lychee... to become the product with the largest turnover, accounting for 38.7% of turnover. The country's fruit and vegetable exports.

China is Vietnam's largest fruit and vegetable export market with a turnover of USD 2.75 billion, up 160% over the same period last year and accounting for 65% of the country's total fruit and vegetable export turnover.

The group of transport vehicles and spare parts had a turnover of USD 1.47 billion, thereby bringing the 9-month result to USD 10.28 billion. This is the only group of "tens of billions of dollars" export goods that has grown positively in the past 9 months. The main export markets of this product group are: Japan reaching more than USD 2.1 billion; The United States reached more than USD 2 billion; Korea reached more than USD 953.5 million...

In addition, rice is also an export commodity group with impressive growth, with an increased turnover of nearly USD 1 billion. By the end of September, the country's rice exports reached 6.42 million tons and turnover reached USD 3.54 billion, up 19.5% in volume and 35.9% in turnover compared to the same period last year, increased by USD 935 million).

In the past 9 months, ASEAN and China have been the two main export markets of Vietnamese rice. Of which, the ASEAN market reached 3.82 million tons, an increase of 28%; China reached 859 thousand tons, up 37.2% over the same period last year.

Thus, the two main markets mentioned above alone reached 4.68 million tons, accounting for 73% of the country's rice exports.

6 groups of "tens of billions of dollars" goods decreased

Although there are bright spots, in the past 9 months, our country's export activities have witnessed many difficulties in key commodity industries.

Statistical data from the General Department of Customs recorded that by the end of September, there were up to 6 key export commodity groups whose turnover decreased by USD 1 billion or more. Notably, these are all large-scale commodity groups worth "tens of billions of dollars" so they have a strong impact on the country's overall exports.

The biggest decrease is in phones and components. By the end of September, this group of goods only reached USD 38.92 billion, down 13.7%, equivalent to a decrease of USD 6.17 billion compared to the same period last year. Due to this decline, phones and components lost the number 1 position in exports to the group of computers, electronic products and components.

Textiles and garments had the second largest decrease in turnover with 3.94 billion USD. By the end of September, this product group only reached 25.1 billion USD.

Footwear of all kinds decreased by USD 3.47 billion, the 3rd largest decrease in the goods group, thereby the turnover of the whole 9 months only reached USD 14.7 billion.

The remaining 3 product groups with a "billion dollar" decrease in turnover are: machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts decreased by USD 3.36 billion (by the end of September, it reached USD 30.91 billion); wood and wood products decreased by USD 2.69 billion (by the end of September, it reached USD 9.62 billion; Seafood products decreased by USD 1.87 billion USD (by the end of September, it reached USD 6.6 billion USD.

Thus, the 6 key product groups mentioned above alone have a total turnover decrease of USD 21.5 billion, accounting for 89.5% of the decrease in the country's overall export turnover.

By the end of September, the country's exports reached USD 258.97 billion, down 8.5% (equivalent to a decrease of USD 24.02 billion) compared to the same period last year. In the past 9 months, the country's average export turnover reached about USD 28.8 billion per month.

It is worth noting that in the last 2 consecutive months (August and September); export turnover reached more than USD 30 billion/month, higher than the general average in the first 9 months of the year. If the fourth quarter of 2023 maintains the level of USD 30 billion/month, the country's exports this year could reach about USD 350 billion.