Vietnam’s wild-caught seafood export value surged in April and the first four months of 2022 according to data released by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
The country exported wild-caught seafood worth USD 377 million (EUR 352 million) in April, a growth of 24 percent year-on-year. That value is the highest this year compared with the previous months.
Wild-caught seafood sales increased in the first four months of 2022 compared to the same period last year, increasing by 26 percent to more than USD 1.3 billion (EUR 1.2 billion). The country’s wild-caught seafood sales included mainly tuna, squid and octopus, crab, other fish (excluding tuna and pangasius), and other seafood species.
VASEP said the export value of wild-caught seafood is likely to keep its positive growth in the second quarter. However, the association expects the pace will be slower due to various challenges – such as the lack of materials for processing, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission’s yellow card on Vietnam, and the hike of freight rates and fuel costs.
The export value of wild-caught seafood accounted for 33.4 percent of Vietnam’s total seafood export value of USD 1.13 billion (EUR 1 billion) in April.
Overall, the country’s total seafood export value last month increased by 50.5 percent compared to the same month last year, according to the latest customs data. In the period spanning January to April, Vietnam exported seafood worth USD 3.65 billion (EUR 3.4 billion), a growth of 46.8 percent year-on-year.
Major destinations in the period included the U.S., with a sales value of USD 849.8 million (EUR 793.2 million), up 75 percent year-on-year; China with USD 533.7 million (EUR 498.2 million), soaring 111.8 percent year-on-year; Japan with USD 490.2 million (EUR 457.6 million), up 13.9 percent year-on-year; and South Korea with USD 288.7 million (EUR 269.5 million), 26.5 percent higher year-on-year.
Amid Russia’s Ukraine invasion, the value of seafood exports from Vietnam to Russia declined 35.7 percent year-on-year to USD 35.3 million (EUR 32.9 million) in the first four months.
Photo courtesy of Bui Ngoc Duy An/VASEP
