Vietnam seafood exports to the European Union rose again in May, achieving year-on-year growth for the fourth straight month, according to data from Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
The country exported seafood worth nearly USD 140 million (EUR 132.2 million) to the E.U. in May, a higher total than in each of the previous three months.
Between January and May, sales of seafood products from Vietnam to the E.U. surged 45 percent year-on-year to USD 562 million (EUR 530.8 million), thanks to a recovery in demand following the easing of pandemic-related restrictions.
Of that total, shrimp exports were worth USD 303 million (EUR 286.2 million), up 51 percent year-on-year. That included USD 236 million (EUR 222.9 million) of vannamei, 46 percent higher year-on-year, and USD 50 million (EUR 47.2 million) of black tiger shrimp, a 75 percent increase from a year earlier. The largest three markets within the bloc included the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium, and all three increased shrimp imports from Vietnam with the year-on-year growth of between 58 percent and 91 percent.
Vietnam's pangasius exports in the first five months of 2022 also grew 89 percent year-on-year to USD 88.6 million (EUR 83.7 million), accounting for 15.8 percent of the total – larger than the 10 percent it took up in 2021. Major markets for pangasius within the E.U. included the Netherlands (up 80 percent year-on-year), Germany (up 89 percent year-on-year), Spain (up 90 percent), and Belgium (up 104 percent from last year).
Sales of pangasius in other E.U. markets, including Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Latvia were also on the rise, Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade said.
Most of the export value of Vietnamese pangasius in the first five months came from sales of frozen fillets, which rose 93 percent year-on-year to USD 82.5 million (EUR 77.9 million).
The value of the tuna exports from Vietnam to the E.U. in the period also grew 9 percent year-on-year to USD 68 million (EUR 64.2 million), mainly to the Netherlands (up 59 percent year-on-year), and Belgium (70 percent higher year-on-year). Most of the value came from sales of frozen tuna loins and canned tuna, VASEP said.
Photo courtesy of VASEP
