Vietnam makes up the world's third largest exporter of cassava and cassava-based products in terms of output, behind Thailand and Cambodia, and second only to Thailand in export turnover.

According to details given by the General Department of Vietnam Customs, the country exported roughly 2.9 million tonnes of cassavas worth approximately US$1.2 billion last year, representing a year-on-year rise of 2.4% in volume and 16.5% in value.

Despite enduring a decline in terms of export turnover during the initial two months of the year, the export of cassava and cassava products in March was able to bounce back.

In line with this, March alone saw the nation ship approximately 450,000 tonnes of cassavas worth US$202 million, an increase of 80.6% in volume and 97.1% in value compared to February.

During the three-month period, Vietnam shipped about 970,000 tonnes, valued at US$420 million, a drop of 0.6% in volume and up 15.5% in value compared to the same period from last year.

Nguyen Quoc Toan, director of the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority, said there remains a number of hurdles in exporting the products, including unstable export prices, heavy reliance on the Chinese market and a general lack of protection policies for cassava farmers based in remote areas.

According to the Import-Export Department, local firms will face numerous difficulties in exporting cassava and cassava-based products to China in the near future due to new regulations and standards issued by the General Administration of Customs of China from the beginning of the year.

Experts underscored the need to diversify markets such as as the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Taiwan (China), as well as utilizing opportunities to enjoy tariff quotas from free trade agreements (FTAs) to expand export markets in the time ahead. 

Source: VOV