Vietnam produced an estimated 2.36 million metric tons (MT) of seafood in the second quarter, up 1.3 percent year-on-year, according to newly-published data from the General Statistics Office.
The country’s output from aquaculture in the quarter was estimated at 1.32 million MT, rising 1.7 percent year-on-year, comprising 942,300 MT of fish, down 0.1 percent, and 238,400 MT of shrimp, up by 5 percent. And its production of wild-catch fisheries output during April to June was estimated at 1.05 million MT, 0.9 percent higher year-on-year.
In the first half of 2020, Vietnam produced an estimated 3.86 million MT of seafood, an increase of 1.6 percent compared with the same period in 2019, including 2.89 million MT of fish, up 1.1 percent; 422,800 MT of shrimp, up 4 percent year-on-year; and other species 550,700 MT, 2.5 percent higher than January-June last year.
The country produced an estimated 644,700 MT of pangasius in the first six months of this year, down 5 percent year-on-year.
Low demand in global markets has negatively affected pangasius farming in Mekong Delta. Pangasius material prices in the middle of June were between VND 17,500 and VND 18,000 (USD 0.75 to USD 0.77, EUR 0.67 to EUR 0.69) per kilogram, causing losses of between VND 3,000 and VND 5,000 (USD 0.13 to USD 0.21, EUR 0.11 to EUR 0.19) per kilogram for local farmers, GSO said.
Vietnam produced an estimated 118,700 MT of giant tiger shrimp in the first six months, up 1.1 percent year-on-year, while the output of whiteleg shrimp rose 6.6 percent to 200,500 MT in the period.
The country’s wild-catch fisheries output increased by 1.4 percent year-on-year to an estimated 1.89 million MT during the January-to-June period, including 1.45 million MT of fish, up 2 percent year-on-year; 75,500 MT of shrimp, down 2.3 percent; and 336,700 MT of other species, 0.4 percent lower year-on-year.
Photo courtesy of Loner Nguyen/Shutterstock
