The United Kingdom imported 43 percent more pangasius in the opening five and a half months of this year than it did in the same period of 2014, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
The 4th biggest pangasius importing market in the EU has experienced the highest and most stable growth rates in the bloc this year. It started the year with a surge of 97.8 percent year-on-year, then over the four successive months – February through May – its pangasius export growth rates ranged from 12 percent to 60.5 percent compared to the corresponding period of 2014, said VASEP.
Frozen fillets accounted for 86 percent of the pangasius exported from Vietnam to the U.K. market.
For the year through 15 June, Vietnamese pangasius companies earned a total of USD 129.6 million (EUR 118.5 million) from exports to the EU.
In 2014, the Southeast Asian country produced 1 million metric tons (MT) of pangasius and exported USD 1.76 billion (EUR 1.61 billion) worth of the fish worldwide, an increase of 0.4 percent on the previous year. Its two main pangasius markets were the EU and United States, each accounting for 19 percent of the total export value.
VASEP expects the industry to register a similar performance this year.
