Vietnam and Argentina emerged as notable exceptions in the European Commission’s (EC) latest agri-food trade report. Imports from Argentina increased 10% thanks to higher sunflower seed shipments, while imports from Vietnam climbed 9%, driven by robust coffee exports.

Vietnam's coffee cherries (Photo: VNA)

The European Union (EU)'s imports of agricultural and food products from Vietnam rose 9% in value in the first five months of 2026, driven primarily by higher coffee imports, according to the European Commission’s (EC) latest agri-food trade report released on July 30.

Vietnam was among the few bright spots in the EU’s import landscape, underscoring the country’s growing role as a key supplier of agricultural products to the bloc.

The report shows that the EU posted an agri-food trade surplus of 19.4 billion EUR (22.3 billion USD) in the January–May period, up 1 billion EUR from the same period in 2025, despite declines in the overall value of both exports and imports.

The bloc’s agri-food exports totalled 96.9 billion EUR, down 3% year-on-year, while its imports were valued at 77.5 billion EUR, a year-on-year decline of 5%.

Vietnam and Argentina emerged as notable exceptions. Imports from Argentina increased 10% thanks to higher sunflower seed shipments, while imports from Vietnam climbed 9%, driven by robust coffee exports. The value of fruit and nut imports also rose by 4%.

VNA