Billion-Dollar Exports, Yet An Giang Businesses Face New Challenges

An Giang Department of Industry and Trade Director Nguyen Thong Nhat stated that although encouraging results were achieved during the first five months of the year, the province’s industrial enterprises continue to face significant challenges. Export markets have yet to recover steadily, while increasingly intense competition is placing growing pressure on production and business activities. In addition, rising input material costs have increased production expenses. Fuel and material prices remain high, while the costs of raw materials continue to fluctuate. Prices in supporting industries are unstable, and inflation remains a potential risk. Shortages of skilled labor and rising logistics costs have also created additional pressure on businesses, affecting the production and consumption of several industries. Furthermore, import and export activities have been directly impacted by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, leading to higher transportation and fuel costs as well as longer delivery times. New technical barriers related to green standards and product traceability imposed by the EU and U.S. markets continue to create significant challenges for exporters. In particular, from January 1, 2026, stricter requirements under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) came into effect, causing many wild-caught seafood shipments to encounter difficulties in obtaining Certificates of Admissibility (COA). For rice exports, major exporting countries such as India and Thailand enjoy advantages in production costs and government support policies, enabling them to offer rice at lower prices. This makes it difficult for Vietnamese rice to remain competitive when prices are higher. At the same time, expectations of increased global rice supplies have led many international buyers to postpone purchases in anticipation of further price declines, negatively affecting the province’s rice export turnover. From now until the end of the year, in order to achieve an industrial production value exceeding VND 132.52 trillion in 2026, up 12.26%, and export turnover of more than USD 2.6 billion, up 9.98% compared to 2025, An Giang Province is implementing comprehensive measures to sustain industrial and export growth. Key priorities include developing the processing and manufacturing sector, expanding export markets, and improving industrial park infrastructure and the investment environment.

The processing and manufacturing industry remains the driving force of the provincial economy, accounting for approximately 95% of total industrial production value. Products such as pangasius, rice, processed seafood, garments, and footwear are increasing production capacity and maintaining export orders to meet international market demand. The province will continue to strengthen trade promotion activities, expand export markets, and maximize the benefits of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to reduce trade barriers and enhance competitiveness.At the same time, local authorities are supporting enterprises in stabilizing raw material supplies and labor resources to meet production needs. Administrative procedures are being streamlined to facilitate access to capital and encourage investment in industrial development, trade promotion, and market expansion. According to leaders of the An Giang Department of Industry and Trade, the province is focusing on supporting its key export sectors. For rice, businesses are encouraged to develop raw material production areas and improve product quality to meet international standards. For seafood, efforts continue to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing while promoting safe, sustainable, and efficient aquaculture to ensure raw material supplies and strengthen export processing capacity. In the garment and footwear sectors, businesses are being supported with labor market information and recruitment assistance to meet expanding production demands. Despite global economic uncertainties and other challenges, An Giang’s industrial production and exports recorded strong growth during the first five months of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025, providing significant momentum for the province’s socio-economic development.

According to the An Giang Department of Industry and Trade, industrial production in the first five months of the year increased by 13.40% year-on-year. Mining output rose by 28.23%, while manufacturing and processing industries expanded by nearly 14%. Industrial production activities in May continued to show positive growth as enterprises accelerated production, expanded consumer markets, invested in technological innovation, increased working hours, and recruited additional workers to meet production requirements and fulfill orders from business partners. Most major industrial products recorded higher output, including stone mining (+4.80%), frozen seafood (+22.31%), rice milling (+16.08%), ready-made garments (+18%), and leather footwear (+14.52%). Export turnover during the first five months exceeded USD 1 billion, up 9.43% year-on-year and achieving 37.61% of the annual target. Export revenues included USD 156.75 million from rice, USD 371.91 million from seafood, USD 33.45 million from fruits and vegetables, USD 143.48 million from textiles and garments, and USD 299.68 million from other products. An Giang’s export performance has maintained a positive growth trajectory, reflecting the recovery of production, processing, and export activities across the province. Rice exports increased by 79.99% compared to May 2025, supported by favorable export prices and rising import demand from markets such as Africa, China, and the Philippines. In addition, the 2025–2026 Winter-Spring rice harvest provided sufficient raw materials for processing and export activities.

Meanwhile, seafood products continued to serve as the province’s leading export category, thanks to the flexibility of An Giang seafood exporters in adapting to changing market conditions and increasingly stringent international technical requirements. Overall, the province’s export activities remained stable despite ongoing volatility in the global economy and the incomplete recovery of consumer demand in several markets. Local enterprises have proactively implemented various measures to stabilize production, maintain orders, expand market reach, and enhance competitiveness, thereby contributing to sustained export growth during the first months of 2026.

Source: Bnews