Vietnam saw its pangasius export value decline in September – the seventh month in a row – despite positive signs from China (including Hong Kong) and the United Kingdom, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said on 21 October.
The country shipped pangasius worth USD 129 million (EUR 109 million) in September, down 17.6 percent from the same month last year.
Its sales value in the first nine months also contracted 28.6 percent year-on-year to USD 1 billion (EUR 845 million).
Exports to the United States have not recovered due to negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, VASEP said.
Sales to countries in Southeast Asia also tumbled, with the export value dropping 30.3 percent year-on-year to USD 102.8 million (EUR 86.9 million) between January and September. The declines were seen in three major markets in the region – Thailand (down 27.4 percent year-on-year), Singapore (1.4 percent lower year-on-year), and Malaysia (down 25.8 percent).
Unlike shrimp exporters, Vietnam's pangasius exporters have thus far been unable to take advantage of the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which entered into force from the beginning of August. The value of the exports to the bloc was USD 98.4 million (EUR 83.2 million) in the first nine months, 33.8 percent lower year-on-year, with the decreases seen in key markets including the Netherlands, down 27.7 percent year-on-year; Belgium, 27.7 percent lower than January-September 2019; Germany, down 35.4 percent; and Spain, falling 17.2 percent from a year earlier.
However, exports to China (including Hong Kong) have shown signs of recovery as export activities of pangasius companies to this huge market were busy again from late September and early October, VASEP said, adding that Chinese buyers prefer bigger sizes of between 1.1 kilograms and 1.3 kilograms per fish.
Meanwhile, exports to the U.K. continued to grow with sales value of USD 4.8 million (EUR 4 million) in September, soaring 68.4 percent from a year ago. The export value in the first nine months was USD 30.8 million (EUR 26 million), up 27 percent year-on-year.
The higher demand from some major markets has helped lift material prices in the Mekong Delta recently. As of mid-October, the rate was nearly VND 22,000 (USD 0.94, EUR 0.8) per kilogram for sizes of between 0.7 kilogram and 0.8 kilogram per fish, rising nearly VND 3,500 (USD 0.15, EUR 0.13) per kilogram or up 18.9 percent compared to September, according to VASEP.
Photo courtesy of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP)
