HANOI, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam exported over 1.5 million tons of cassava and cassava-based products totaling 565 million U.S. dollars in the first half of this year, down 24.1 percent in volume but up 13.2 percent in value against the same period last year.

Prices of cassava in the Vietnamese market and foreign markets have climbed up in recent months, mainly because many ethanol plants in Vietnam and other countries, including China need bigger amounts of cassava for their stronger production, according to the Vietnam Cassava Association on Friday.

Cassava outputs in the 2017-2018 crop in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia declined sharply compared with the previous crop, because their farmers have reduced cassava-growing areas in recent years when prices have been not as high as expected, association said.

It added that many cassava starch producing factories in Vietnam are facing material shortages.

Vietnam exported 3.9 million tons of cassava and cassava-based products totaling over 1 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, including nearly 3.5 million tons worth roughly 911.1 million U.S. dollars to China, posting respective rises of 5.5 percent and 3 percent.