Vietnam's Mekong Delta, often referred to as the 'rice bowl' and the 'Global Food Basket,' plays a crucial role in the country's agricultural sector. With an annual rice production of approximately 23 million tons, the Mekong Delta contributes over 31 percent to the total GDP of the agricultural sector. In 2023, Vietnamese rice products were exported to 27 countries and territories, with a total export volume of over 8.3 million tons, valued at $4.7 billion [8d6d4f1a].
Apart from rice, the Mekong Delta is also a significant source of seafood supply. Vietnam exports a variety of seafood products, including shrimp, pangasius fish, tuna, octopus, and blue crab, with a total export value of $2 billion. Vietnam ranks among the top five major food suppliers globally and holds a 15 percent market share in global rice production [8d6d4f1a].
The Mekong Delta's importance in the global food market has attracted the attention of major distribution conglomerates such as Walmart and Aeon Topvalu Vietnam. These companies have established procurement hubs in Vietnam to source agricultural goods like mangoes, pomelos, star apples, and durians [8d6d4f1a].
Vietnam's agricultural sector has new export opportunities in major markets such as the United States, Europe, China, and Japan. However, it also faces challenges, including competition from foreign businesses and the growing demand for environmentally friendly products. Despite these challenges, the Mekong Delta remains a key player in global food supply, with its 13 provinces and municipalities covering a natural area of nearly 40,000 square kilometers [8d6d4f1a].
Vietnam's agricultural products have entered major markets thanks to adopting safe farming practices, linking producers and businesses, and building raw material areas for exports, as the Mekong Delta has done. The Mekong Delta is the largest producer of Vietnamese fruit for export. Nguyen Hoang Anh of Thoi Hung commune, Co Do district, Can Tho city, said his family grows five hectares of longans for export to the US, Australia, and several other countries under the VietGap standard. Co Do district has 330 hectares of longans. The longans have been granted 36 growing area codes for exporting to the US, Australia, Japan, Thailand, the EU, China, and South Korea. Tran Thai Nghiem, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the city's fruit output is 200,000 tons per year. Vietnam has 1.2 million hectares of fruit, and earned 5.6 billion USD from agricultural exports last year [d1bb636a].