Between January and September 2012, total shrimp exports from Vietnam reach more than USD 1.63 billion (EUR 1.3 billion), dropping 3.9 percent from the same time period in 2011, according to the latest figures from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
However, shrimp exports to Japan, Vietnam’s main shrimp market, were valued at USD 440.6 million (EUR 340.6 million), up 11 percent from last year. The country’s other two key markets, the U.S. and the EU reported declines of 17.8 percent and 24.6 percent to USD 333 million (EUR 262 million) and USD 229.4 million (EUR 180.5 million), respectively.
For the month of September, Vietnam shrimp exports earned more than USD 207 million (EUR 162.7 million), down 15.8 percent from the same month last year. The drop was due to a decline in exports to most of the key markets.
Only Austria, China and Hong Kong saw growth. Japan remained Vietnam’s largest importer accounting for 27.8 percent of the shrimp exports. Japan’s share however, was down 9.2 percent from 2011 to USD 57.7 million (EUR 45.4 million). The U.S. and EU also saw declines of 43.3 percent and 24.8 percent, respectively to USD 40.7 million (EYR 32 million) and USD 29.3 million (EUR 23 million).
