Exporters from Vietnam are delivering more seafood products to the United States as its demand recovers now that its vaccine program has been rolled out widely, according to a May 27 release from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
The U.S. was the largest buyer of seafood from Vietnam in April, purchasing seafood worth USD 148.9 million (EUR 122 million), soaring 63.6 percent year-on-year. Of the total, sales of shrimp grew 47 percent year-on-year to USD 63.5 million (EUR 52 million), followed by tuna at USD 31 million (EUR 25.4 million), 56 percent higher year-on-year, and pangasius sales at USD 30.4 million (EUR 24.9 million), jumping 136 percent from a year earlier.
In the first four months of 2021, the value of Vietnam’s exports to the U.S. reached USD 483.8 million (EUR 396.2 million), up 28.2 percent year-on-year, comprising USD 198 million (EUR 162.2 million) of shrimp export value, up nearly 25 percent; USD 102 million (EUR 83.5 million) of pangasius export value, 37 percent higher year-on-year; and USD 94.5 million (EUR 77.4 million) of tuna sales, up 15 percent.
Sales of squid, octopus, other wild-caught fish, and crab to the U.S. also rose in the period.
About 220 companies from Vietnam shipped seafood to the U.S. between January and April, with 67 having sales of more than USD 1 million (EUR 819,400). Shrimp company Soc Trang Seafood JSC was the largest exporter to the U.S. from Vietnam in terms of export value, followed by pangasius exporters Vinh Hoan and Bien Dong Seafood.
The U.S. COVID-19 vaccination rollout and stimulus packages have contributed to economic growth and wide-scale reopening in the U.S., leading to higher demand for seafood from not only the retail sector but also the foodservice sector, VASEP said.
In particular, demand from the travel industry is expected to recover strongly in the coming months, according to VASEP. As a result, the U.S. will be the main targeted market for seafood exporters from Vietnam, India, Ecuador, Indonesia, and Thailand, with VASEP expecting a sales “boom” in the second half of this year.
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