Vietnam warns of billion-dollar drop in farm exports if Middle East conflict drags on

HANOI, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's export revenue from agro-forestry-fishery products could decline by billions of U.S. dollars if tensions in the Middle East persist, the Vietnam News Agency reported Wednesday, citing an official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

According to Tran Gia Long, deputy director of the ministry's Department of Planning-Finance, if the conflict lasts for about one month, Vietnam's total export turnover of these products could be affected by around 1 billion U.S. dollars.

If the conflict continues for three months, the sector's export value could fall by 3 billion to 3.5 billion U.S. dollars, with shipments to the Middle East possibly decreasing by about 500 million to 600 million U.S. dollars.

Should the conflict drag on longer, exports to the Middle East could face disruptions during certain periods, while shipments to Europe and North Africa could also drop by as much as 50 percent, according to the department.

In the first two months of 2026, Vietnam's exports of agro-forestry-fishery products to the Middle East were estimated at about 216 million U.S. dollars, figures from the ministry showed. Enditem