The agricultural sector has recorded an export turnover of nearly 31 billion USD this year, a year-on-year increase of 11.2%, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported on December 25.

A pepper plantation in Gia Lai Province

Among the high export revenue earners were coffee, cashew, pepper and rice, the ministry said at a workshop held to review the sector's performance this year and discuss plans for next year.

Farm produce topping the 1 billion USD export mark include rice, coffee, rubber, fruits and vegetables, shrimps, tra fish and forest products, the report said.

It was the first time that the export of Vietnamese fruits posted a turnover of more than 1.5 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of 34.9%.

The agriculture sector's GDP growth rate was 3.3%, higher than the set target of 3.27 percent.

The results can be attributed to positive changes made in the agricultural restructuring process and effective implementation of the national programme on building new rural areas, said Agriculture Minister Cao Duc Phat.

Better disease prevention and control has also helped, he said.