Vietnam saw its pangasius export value and production decline so far due to strict lockdowns to curb the COVID-19 outbreak in the southern region, according to Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) on 30 September.
The country exported pangasius worth USD 87.5 million (EUR 75.2 million) in August, falling 28.5 percent year-on-year, and down 30.7 percent from July.
The export value in the first 8 months, however, surged 8.8 percent to USD 994.2 million (EUR 854 million), mainly thanks to the growth in the months before August.
China (including Hong Kong) became the largest destination in value in the period with nearly USD 262 million (EUR 225 million), down 11.5 percent year-on-year; followed by the U.S. with USD 224.9 million (EUR 193.2 million), 45.6 percent higher year-on-year; Mexico with USD 46.3 million (EUR 40 million), up 72.3 percent; and Brazil with USD 41.4 million (EUR 35.6 million), soaring 75.3 percent from a year earlier.
The strict lockdowns applied in several provinces in the Mekong Delta, home to Vietnam’s pangasius production, have negatively affected the entire pangasius supply chain, Vietnamese Fisheries General Department’s Director Tran Dinh Luan said on 25 September during a seminar on ways to revive the pangasius industry after the lockdowns.
However, there are a few factors supporting the industry such as weather conditions favorable for farming, lower risks of diseases, and high demand in major markets, Luan said.
Provinces in the Mekong Delta have produced 2.33 billion pangasius fingerlings since the start of this year, mainly from An Giang and Dong Thap.
The farming area increased for most of the first six months of this year in comparison to last year. However, the farming area began to slow down from July when the pandemic got worse in the Mekong Delta.
The country produced an estimated 932,000 metric tons (MT) of pangasius in the first nine months, down 18.9 percent year-on-year.
The production declined by 20 percent year-on-year in July, 44.9 percent in August, and 77 percent in the first half of September.
The average price of pangasius during the lockdown months of July-September was between VND 21,000 and VND 22,000 (USD 0.92 and USD 0.96, EUR 0.79 and EUR 0.83) per kilogram, down about VND 500 (USD 0.022, EUR 0.019) per kilogram compared to previous months, according to Luan.
During the lockdowns 12 out of 51 pangasius feed plants were closed. About half of the 106 pangasius processing factories in five major pangasius producing provinces suspended production during the lockdowns. The operating plants had to reduce workers significantly which hit production.
As of the end of September, most provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta have eased restriction measures to curb the COVID-19 outbreak as cases have fallen dramatically. Production activities are gradually being resumed in the region, according to local media reports.
Photo courtesy of VASEP
