Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development set, as its 2026 agriculture, forestry and fishery export target, 73–74 billion dollars. First-quarter 2026 export results have already reached 16.69 billion dollars, up 5.9% year on year, and the path to reaching the annual target is falling into place. However, compliance with the EU's new environmental and sustainability regulations has become a pressing challenge.
First-quarter 2026 export results
| Items | Record | Year on year |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishery total | 16.69 billion dollars | +5.9% |
| Trade surplus (agriculture, forestry and fishery) | 4.78 billion dollars | +12% |
| Produce (fruits and vegetables) | 1.48 billion dollars | +27% |
| Rice | Volume +2.3%, price -10.7% | Falling unit price is the challenge |
The government's six priority measures
The main measures toward reaching the 73–74 billion dollar target announced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development are as follows:
- Promoting investment in high-tech agriculture: Deregulation for the use of precision agriculture, drones and IoT sensors
- Promoting organic agriculture and green credit: Establishing low-interest loan and subsidy systems for certified farmers
- Developing a carbon market: Encouraging the creation of carbon credits in the agricultural sector
- Diversifying export markets: Breaking away from dependence on China, opening up the Middle East, African and European markets
- Strengthening traceability: Compliance with EU environmental regulations and the EUDR (EU Deforestation Regulation)
- Supporting agricultural startups: Improving the fundraising environment for agritech companies
What the EU's new regulations demand of Vietnamese farm goods
From 2026 on, a series of environmental and sustainability regulations the EU is introducing will directly affect Vietnamese agriculture's production methods. In particular, the EUDR (EU Deforestation Regulation) obliges proof that major export goods such as coffee, cacao, rubber and timber are not involved in deforestation.
Vietnam's coffee and Rice producers are hurrying to introduce digital farm-management systems and GPS-linked traceability. Farm goods that cannot comply with the EUDR risk losing access to high-value-added markets.
The rise of agritech startups
In Vietnam's agritech market, Techcoop completed a 70-million-dollar Series A round last December and has set a sales target of 150 million dollars for 2026. Startups are supporting the modernization of agriculture in diverse fields such as agricultural SaaS, drone pesticide spraying and AI demand forecasting.
For Japanese agritech companies and investors in Vietnamese agriculture, partnership with local startups and technology transfer have become effective means of market entry.
Sources:Vietnam.vn: Q1 2026 agriculture, forestry and fishery exports of 16.69 billion dollars / Vietnam News: Ministry agricultural export solutions / Vietnam.vn: 2026 farm-goods quality and sustainability
