Vietnam raised seafood production by 5.7 percent year-on-year to an estimated 4.27 million metric tons (MT) in the first seven months of this year, according to latest data from the General Statistics Office.
Of that total, the output from aquaculture in the period was estimated at 2.17 million MT, up 6.5 percent, while wild-catch fisheries contributed an estimated 2.1 million MT, 5 percent higher year-on-year.
The production in July was estimated at 713,100 MT, up 6 percent year-on year, and was comprised of 243,000 MT of farmed fish (up 6.2 percent) and 89,600 MT of farmed shrimp, (12 percent higher year-on-year).
The output of pangasius, one of Vietnam’s core farmed species, rose 9.2 percent year-on year to an estimated 115,000 MT in July, with main production coming from Dong Thap Province (40,400 MT, up 5 percent year-on-year), An Giang Province (35,100 MT, up 54 percent year-on-year), and Can Tho City (14,700 MT, up 1 percent) in Mekong Delta.
Vietnam exported pangasius worth USD 926.7 million (EUR 826.1 million) in the first six months of 2019, down 7 percent from a year earlier.
According to a report from Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, the farm-gate prices in An Giang in the week ending on 18 July declined 27.5 percent year-on-year to around VND 20,300 (USD 0.87, EUR 0.79) per kilogram. The price, however, was up slightly, by 0.5 percent, from the previous week.
The production of giant tiger shrimp in July was estimated at 31,900 MT, up 6 percent from 2018, and the output of whiteleg shrimp stood at an estimated 53,000 MT, up 16 percent.
Production for wild catch fisheries during the month was estimated at 336,400 MT, up 5 percent, including 257,500 MT of fish (up 5.6 percent) and 14,600 MT of shrimp (up 2.8 percent).
In 2019, the country plans to achieve seafood output of 8.08 million MT, up 4.2 percent year-on-year, including 4.38 million MT of farmed species – 5.6 percent higher than 2018 – and 3.7 million MT of wild-caught seafood, up 2.6 percent year-on-year.
Vietnam’s seafood exports were worth USD 3.9 billion (EUR 3.5 billion) between January and June, 1.6 percent lower than the same period in 2018, according to customs data.
The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said earlier this month that the country is likely to miss its export value target in 2019 due to a lower value of exports gained from major markets.
The country has set a target of reaping USD 10.5 billion (EUR 9.24 billion) from exports of its seafood products in 2019, up 19.5 percent from last year.
Image courtesy of Toan Dao/SeafoodSource
