Vietnam’s shrimp sales improved in the first half of 2021 to most of its major markets, with the notable exception of China.
The Southeast Asian country shipped USD 1.7 billion (EUR 1.4 million) worth of shrimp in H1 2021, up 13.7 percent from the same period last year, according to a 21 July release from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
VASEP said China was the only major market that saw shrimp sales from Vietnam contract in the first half of 2021, with a volume decline of 20 percent compared to H1 2020. It did not provide a value figure.
Vietnam’s sales to markets in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) surged 14 percent to USD 482.8 million (EUR 410 million) in between January and June, including a 4.3 percent boost in sales to Japan, which reached USD 290.2 million (EUR 246.5 million) Shrimp exports from Vietnam to Japan began to rise from the second quarter of this year, when Japan intensified its COVID-19 vaccination campaign and its new cases were on the decline. The Tokyo Olympic Games, which began on Friday, 23 July, are also expected to help raise shrimp demand in Japan, VASEP said.
Sales to Australia, another CPTPP member, reached USD 88.7 million (EUR 75.3 million) in H1, a jump of 81 percent from a year ago. In June alone, Vietnam sent 89 percent more shrimp year-on-year to Australia, reaching USD 16.9 million (EUR 14.3 million).
The CPTPP bloc includes Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Mexico, Vietnam, Peru, Chile, Brunei, and Malaysia. The pact became effective for Vietnam in January 2019.
Vietnam also increased its sales of shrimp to the U.S., its largest single market, with sales rising 36 percent year-on-year to USD 439.8 million (EUR 373.6 million) in H1.
Vietnam’s sales to the E.U. surged 27.3 percent year-on-year to USD 255.6 million (EUR 217.1 million) in the period.
VASEP warned an ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in southern Vietnam, where many of the country’s largest shrimp companies are located, could impact exports in coming months.
Photo courtesy of Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers
