The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has formally requested urgent government intervention to address a proposed Brazilian import ban on Vietnamese tilapia, which continues a multiyear saga of on-again, off-again bans Brazil has placed on Vietnamese seafood exports.
In 2024, Brazil halted all tilapia imports from Vietnam, pending a review of health protocols aiming to ease local industry concern on health risks, such as tilapia lake virus (TiLV) entering the country.
The ban was lifted in early 2025, but later that same year, the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina decided to institute a ban over similar concerns.
Then, early this year, Brazil announced imports of tilapia fillets from Vietnam surpassed the country’s own exports for the first time, unsettling local producers and representative associations who reamplified concerns about market disruptions and health risks.
Intensifying concern led multiple Brazilian states besides Santa Catarina, including Paraná, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Pernambuco, Mato Grosso, and Bahia, to begin implementing or considering restrictive measures. These actions include adjusting the state-level tax on goods circulation (ICMS), tightening cargo circulation controls, increasing quarantine mandates, and requiring stricter reinspection of imported shipments.
At the federal level, Brazil is currently reviewing Bill PL 6.331/2025, which seeks to completely prohibit the importation of tilapia and its derived products.
VASEP said it strongly disputes Brazilian claims, arguing that they lack objective scientific backing and function primarily as protectionist measures to shield domestic producers from foreign competition. Vietnamese tilapia, the association said, is raised and processed under rigorous international quality, biosecurity, and traceability standards.
Aiming to mitigate the issue, VASEP sent official dispatches to Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade outlining similar arguments and highlighting the importance of the Brazilian market for local producers, as it has emerged as the premier growth market for Vietnam's tilapia industry.
Vietnam’s domestic tilapia production has scaled rapidly over the past decade, rising from 187,800 metric tons (MT) in 2015 to approximately 420,000 MT in 2025. The production growth fueled an export boom, with global tilapia revenues climbing from USD 17 million (EUR 14.9 million) in 2023 to USD 99.3 million (EUR 86.9 million) by the end of 2025. Brazil has played an important role in recent momentum, as export turnover to the country soared from just USD 148,000 (EUR 129,500) in 2024 to USD 11 million (EUR 9.6 million) in 2025.
In the first six months of 2026, estimated exports to Brazil surged further to USD 41 million (EUR 35.9 million), accounting for roughly 54 percent of Vietnam's total tilapia export value, according to VASEP.
Exacerbating the issue and making the bans more alarming for Vietnamese producers is the fact that the sector is heavily dependent on Brazil in the short term, as the U.S., which is Vietnam's second-largest tilapia buyer, has seen stagnant growth this year due to high inventory levels and shifting tariff policies, according to VASEP.
For the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, VASEP has requested an official ministerial communication be sent to Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Supply to express deep concern over state-level restrictions, such as taxes and disease controls, implemented against tilapia from countries including Vietnam, which VASEP said are not based on scientific evidence. The trade group also called on the creation of an official National Technical Dossier on Vietnamese tilapia and the deployment of a senior technical delegation to Brazil during the upcoming Seafood Show Latin America, this year’s edition of which is set to take place in October.
VASEP also asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to formally engage Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services, monitor state-level ICMS tax adjustments, and help coordinate retail and foodservice match-making campaigns for Vietnamese businesses at the October seafood show. If Brazil’s measures create unjustified trade barriers against Vietnamese tilapia, VASEP urged the Ministry of Industry and Trade to additionally consider using appropriate international trade mechanisms.
Finally, VASEP recommended that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs leverage economic diplomacy channels to ensure non-discriminatory trade practices and embed the issue into bilateral consultations and meetings between Vietnam and Brazil.
VASEP is also working with its Brazilian counterpart, ABRAPES, to track market updates, share importer feedback, and exchange communication strategies to provide objective information on Vietnamese tilapia, it said.
