Attempting to take advantage of the ongoing trade standoff between China and the U.S., Vietnam has floated the idea of scaling up exports of tilapia, particularly to the U.S. market.
Though tilapia is not currently a key export commodity for Vietnam, which deals greater numbers of farmed pangasius and shrimp, exports of Chinese tilapia to the U.S. market are set to decrease dramatically due to the standoff, creating a market gap.
“[U.S. buyers] do not want to pass along the tariff increases to their customers. They are looking for new suppliers for tilapia outside of China,” a tilapia processor in Southern China who requested to remain anonymous told SeafoodSource. “While it's possible to export to the U.S. despite the additional tax, I expect China tilapia sales to significantly drop in the U.S. Tilapia is likely to become insignificant in the U.S. seafood market if the high tariff remains unchanged.”
Tilapia production in Vietnam yields an annual output of around 300,000 metric tons (MT) and carried an export value of USD 41 million (EUR 35.5 million) in 2024, which was more than double the USD 17 million (EUR 14.7 million) the exports earned in 2023.
In the first two months of 2025, U.S. purchases of Vietnam tilapia were up 105 percent year over year, reaching nearly USD 3 million (EUR 2.6 million), the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said in March.
On 17 April, VASEP, in collaboration with the nation’s Department of Fisheries and Fisheries Surveillance under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, organized a workshop to discuss strategies for boosting tilapia production and exports during this time of opportunity...
