Vietnam’s seafood exports in January 2022 soared 43.3 percent in value to USD 872.5 million (EUR 768.6 million).
The U.S. remained Vietnam’s largest end-destination for seafood in the month, importing USD 199.8 million (EUR 176 million) worth of products, up 82.1 percent year-on-year. Japan was second with USD 133.9 million (EUR 118 million), up 19.2 percent; and South Korea was third at USD 70 million (EUR 61.7 million), an increase of 15.3 percent year-on-year.
Sales to China grew 68.4 percent year-on-year to USD 62.3 million (EUR 54.9 million) but it ranked fourth in the top destinations in the month in terms of value.
Trade through Vietnam’s borders with China was severely impeded in December 2021 and January 2022 as thousands of trucks carrying seafood and other agricultural products were stranded after China intensified inspections of imported Vietnamese goods, with the objective of limiting the spread of the COVID-19.
The other major markets for seafood from Vietnam included Australia with USD 32.6 million (EUR 28.7 million) in purchases, up 28.9 percent year-on-year; Canada, with USD 31.6 million (EUR 27.8 million), rising 84.8 percent; the Netherlands, with USD 29.8 million (EUR 26.3 million) in sales, jumping 102.7 percent; Thailand, with USD 29.1 million (EUR 25.6 million), up 11.1 percent; and the U.K., with USD 28.4 million (EUR 25 million) in purchases, an increase of 44.2 percent year-on-year.
In 2021, Vietnam’s seafood exports hit an all-time high, reaching USD 8.9 billion (EUR 7.8 billion), up 5.8 percent from 2020, despite challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. That total included USD 3.9 billion (EUR 3.4 billion) in shrimp exports, up 4 percent; USD 1.6 billion (EUR 1.4 billion) in pangasius exports, 8.4 percent higher year-on-year; and USD 3.4 billion (EUR 3 billion) from exports of wild-caught seafood, up 7 percent, data from Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) showed.
The U.S. was the top destination for seafood from Vietnam last year with USD 2.1 billion (EUR 1.8 billion) in sales, up 26.4 percent year-on-year; followed by Japan with USD 1.4 billion (EUR 1.3 billion) in purchases, down 6.8 percent; and China (including Hong Kong), with USD 1.1 billion (EUR 1 billion) in sales, down 16.6 percent than 2020.
Photo courtesy of Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers
