Identifying New Growth Drivers in Lam Dong’s Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Sector
Despite adverse weather conditions at the start of the dry season and rising input costs, Lam Dong’s agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector continued to demonstrate resilience and quality-driven growth in the first five months of 2026. According to the Lam Dong Statistics Office, the sector has maintained its role as a key pillar of the provincial economy while benefiting from modernization, intensive production and a stronger market-oriented mindset among producers.
Quality-Focused Growth
As of mid-May 2026, the province's total cultivated area reached 134,789 hectares, up 3.2 % year-on-year. The strongest momentum came from high-value commercial crops, particularly vegetables, which expanded to 37,680 hectares (up 4.83 %, and flowers, covering 5,340 hectares (up 4.76 %).
The expansion reflects the agricultural supply chain's ability to respond flexibly to both domestic and export market demand, while the arrival of the rainy season has helped reduce irrigation costs for farmers.
Perennial crops also illustrate a clear shift toward higher-value production. Pepper cultivation, covering approximately 37,720 hectares, continues to benefit from stable prices of VND 148,000–150,000 per kilogram while encouraging sustainable organic farming and ecological intercropping with coffee, which occupies 328,732 hectares across the province.
By contrast, lower-performing and aging crops such as cashew (45,483 hectares) and tea (9,200 hectares) have experienced declining productivity and output. Farmers are increasingly converting these areas to durian and other fruit trees, reflecting greater market responsiveness and a long-term strategy to improve returns per unit of land.
Livestock Remains a Key Growth Engine
Livestock production continued to serve as one of the sector's major growth drivers during the first five months of 2026.
Total live-weight meat production reached 161,743 tons, representing an impressive 9.51 % increase compared with the same period last year. Herd expansion was recorded across all major categories, with poultry exceeding 22.7 million birds (up 7.17 %), pig numbers approaching 1.5 million head (up 5.98 %), and cattle reaching 319,000 head (up 1.54 %).
Much of this growth has come from the expansion of modern closed-loop farming systems and large-scale enterprises rather than traditional smallholder production. Strict biosecurity measures have enabled the province to maintain strong herd rebuilding, particularly for dairy cattle, which now number 30,200 head (up 3.61 %), as well as commercial pig farming.
Bright Prospects for the Marine Economy
While crop cultivation and livestock production have improved both in scale and quality, forestry has maintained stable growth. Newly planted forest area is estimated at 2,005 hectares, an increase of 4.84 %, while cumulative timber production through May reached 190,584 cubic meters, up 3.66 %.
The fisheries sector has experienced especially strong momentum, driven largely by marine capture activities. Favorable weather conditions, productive fishing grounds and abundant anchovy schools helped increase cumulative marine catches to 94,125 tons during the first five months of the year, up 3 %.
Aquaculture and seed production also continued their stable expansion, with aquaculture output reaching 11,589 tons and shrimp seed production totaling 10.4 billion post-larvae, an increase of 5.27 %.
The combination of high-tech aquaculture and successful offshore fishing operations has positioned fisheries as one of the province's fastest-growing economic sectors.
Looking Ahead
Overall, the strong performance of the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector reflects the effectiveness of Lam Dong's ongoing agricultural restructuring efforts. If current trends continue, the sector is well positioned to meet or exceed its 2026 economic targets while providing a solid foundation for growth in the province's industrial and service sectors during the second half of the year.
At the same time, achieving Lam Dong's goal of double-digit GRDP growth will require continued contributions from agriculture alongside industry, construction and services. Although agriculture typically grows more slowly than other sectors, its significant share in the provincial economy means it remains a crucial pillar of overall economic expansion.
To sustain future growth, experts emphasize not only improving productivity, quality and value chains but also expanding agricultural production areas where appropriate.
Pham Trieu, Standing Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Lam Dong Province, suggested that the province should consider bringing additional non-agricultural land into productive use, noting that many voters have raised the issue during public consultations.
In agreement with this view, Ho Van Muoi, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, stated that non-agricultural land resources remain very large and requested that relevant departments coordinate to propose solutions to the Provincial People’s Committee. “Being dynamic or not lies in this issue because it benefits both the people and development,” Chairman Ho Van Muoi said.
With the current growth momentum, Sector I is fully capable of completing and exceeding the 2026 economic targets, serving as a foundation to help the remaining two sectors accelerate in the final stage of the year.