Disappointing Soy Crops in Vietnam

WASHINGTON - Jan 8/07 - SNS -- Production of soybeans continues to lag behind expectations and Vietnam's needs, partly because of increasing competition from imported beans and products, suggests the U.S. agricultural attache for the country.

Seeded area only advanced from 204,000 hectares in 2005 to 210,000 in 2006, but low yields are resulting in slower growth in the size of the crop.

Production figures for 2005, nonetheless, point to an improvement in yield over previous years, and estimates for 2006 suggest this will continue. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), soybean production in 2005 was 292,000 metric tons (MT), which represents an increase of 20.2% over 2004.

This translates into an average crop yield of 1.43 MT per hectare, which is a 7.5% improvement over 2004. Production for 2006 is forecast to increase only 5.8% to 309,000 MT, owing to a projected smaller increase in growing area.

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