The value of seafood exports from Vietnam has declined in May due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from Vietnam Customs and Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
The country exported seafood worth USD 641.8 million (EUR 569.2 million) in the month, down 15 percent year-on-year, with the value falling in most key markets.
China (including Hong Kong) became the largest buyer of seafood from Vietnam in May, with a sales value of USD 129 million (EUR 114.4 million), up 18.5 percent year-on-year. China was followed by the United States with USD 123.9 million (EUR 110 million), declining 12.9 percent year-on-year, and Japan with a sales value of USD 107.5 million (EUR 95.3 million), 24 percent lower year-on-year.
Demand from China for Vietnamese seafood products has recovered since March and has increased two months in a row, from April and May, VASEP said.
Vietnam’s seafood export value crashed 9 percent to USD 2.89 billion (EUR 2.56 billion) in the first five months, with the sales falling in most major markets.
Exports to the U.S. were worth USD 590.1 million (EUR 523.4 million), 3.8 percent lower year-on-year; followed by Japan with USD 547.5 million (EUR 485.6 million) in the period, down 0.8 percent year-on-year; and China (including Hong Kong) with USD 373.1 million (EUR 330.9 million), down 1.9 percent from a year earlier.
The E.U. (excluding the U.K.) was the fourth-largest destination for seafood products from Vietnam in the first five months of 2020, with sales of about USD 329 million (EUR 291.8 million), down 19 percent year-on-year, according to VASEP.
VASEP said the export value of vannamei, black tiger shrimp, and crab rose between January and May, while sales of the remaining species dropped.
Exports of seafood from Vietnam are not likely to rebound strongly by year-end as the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. and many other countries has not been contained successfully, the trade group said.
In the first five months, Vietnam also imported seafood worth nearly USD 699 million (EUR 620 million), down 4.2 percent year-on-year, mainly from India with USD 95.1 million (EUR 84.3 million), up 8.4 percent year-on-year; Norway, with USD 83.7 million (EUR 74.2 million), down 8.4 percent; Japan with USD 62.7 million (EUR 55.6 million), up 23.2 percent; and Taiwan with USD 54.3 million (EUR 48.2 million), rising 23.7 percent from January-May last year, customs data showed.
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