Vietnam saw its shrimp export value surge in the first quarter of 2021 as sales to many major markets increased, according to a 28 April announcement from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
The country shipped shrimp worth USD 661.1 million (EUR 546.8 million) in the first three months of this year, up 5.2 percent year-on-year.
The combined sales to countries under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in January grew 4.1 percent to USD 86 million (EUR 71.1 million), VASEP said. The growth in sales was attributable to tax incentives under CPTPP, which included countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Mexico, Vietnam, Peru, Chile, Brunei, and Malaysia. The pact became effective for Vietnam in January 2019.
The other destinations that saw an increase in export value in the period included the United States with USD 61 million (EUR 50.5 million), up 16.5 percent from January to March 2020; the European Union with USD 43 million (EUR 35.6 million), 8.1 percent higher year-on-year; and South Korea with USD 27 million (EUR 22.3 million), rising 4.8 percent year-on-year.
Sales to China, however, fell 10.1 percent year-on-year to USD 28 million (EUR 23.2 million) from January to March.
The export value of vannamei accounted for 78 percent of the total export value in the period, followed by sea shrimp with 12 percent, and black tiger shrimp with 10 percent, VASEP said.
As of 18 March, Vietnam had 508,000 hectares of shrimp farms, including 487,000 hectares raising black tiger shrimp and 21,000 hectares for vannamei.
The output during the January-March timeframe was estimated at 124,400 metric tons (MT), consisting of 77,700 MT of vannamei, up 8.6 percent year-on-year, and 47,100 MT of black tiger shrimp, surging slightly 0.3 percent year-on-year, VASEP said, quoting data from the General Department of Fisheries.
Vietnam’s seafood export value rose 6.3 percent to USD 1.74 billion (EUR 1.44 billion) in the first quarter, with the U.S., Japan, China, and South Korea being the largest markets.
Photo courtesy of Nguyen Quang Ngoc Tonkin/Shutterstock
