Vietnam's exports of wild-caught seafood rose in the first three months of 2021.
The country exported wild-caught seafood worth USD 728 million (EUR 602.2 million) from January to March, an increase of 11 percent year-on-year, according to Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
Of the total, sales of tuna stood at USD 151 million (EUR 124.9 million), 3.2 percent higher year-on-year, with major buyers including the U.S. with USD 63.3 million (EUR 52.4 million), up 2.1 percent; the E.U. with USD 28.4 million (EUR 23.5 million), growing 8.6 percent; Israel with USD 8.6 million (EUR 7.1 million), up by 0.2 percent; Canada with USD 8.3 million (EUR 6.9 million), soaring 54.8 percent year-on-year; and Japan with USD 7.7 million (EUR 6.4 million), up 1.9 percent from January to March last year.
In the period, Vietnam exported surimi worth USD 83 million (EUR 68.7 million), up 33 percent year-on-year, mainly to South Korea, Thailand, Russia, and Japan.
The export value of dried sea fish, excluding tuna, saw an increase of nearly 70 percent to USD 48.3 million (EUR 40 million) in the first three months, with China, South Korea, Russia, Japan, and Malaysia being major buyers.
Sales of canned sea fish, excluding tuna, rose 31 percent year-on-year to USD 20.3 million (EUR 16.8 million), while the export value of other processed sea fish surged 22 percent to USD 72 million (EUR 59.6 million) in the first quarter. The export value of canned tuna was at USD 45 million (EUR 37.2 million), up 14 percent, with Japan, Thailand, the U.S., and Cambodia being Vietnam's leading export destinations.
Its exports of dried squid also rose 32 percent year-on-year to USD 28 million (EUR 23.2 million), while sales of dried shrimp nearly doubled from last year to USD 7.4 million (EUR 6.1 million) in the first quarter of 2021, VASEP said.
However, the export value of frozen-at-sea fish fillets, excluding tuna, was up just 0.3 percent year-on-year to USD 111 million (EUR 91.8 million) in the first quarter. Vietnam imports around 60 percent of material for processing frozen-at-sea fish fillets, excluding tuna, which was heavily affected by the shortage of containers and rising shipping costs in the first three months of the year.
The export value of other products, including fresh and frozen sea fish, processed tuna, frozen squid, and processed octopus, declined in the period, mainly due to the pandemic's impacts.
Photo courtesy of Renata Apanaviciene/Shutterstock
