Vietnam’s seafood exports to the Middle East reached USD 141 million in the first half of 2011, up 23 percent from the same period in 2010, according to a report from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), released on Wednesday in conjunction with this month’s SIAL Middle East event.
Leading the way, Vietnam’s frozen pangasius exports to the Middle East were up 10 percent in volume and 24 percent in the first half of 2011; frozen shrimp and canned tuna followed.
In 2010, Vietnam’s seafood exports to the Middle East totaled USD 236 million, with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates being the top three markets.
Vietnam’s seafood industry has a pavilion at SIAL Middle East, which takes place in Abu Dhabi from 21 to 23 November.
On Tuesday, VASEP reported that, despite the debt crisis crippling the European Union economy, Vietnam’s seafood exports to the EU were up nearly 24 percent in the first nine months of 2011, to USD 4.3 billion. The EU is the No. 1 market for Vietnamese seafood.
