The positive year-on-year growth of exports we reported in early 2018 are now just a distant memory – gradually decreasing from an increase of 20 percent in the first quarter, 11 percent in the second quarter, 8 percent in the third quarter, to finally conclude at a decrease of 8 percent in the fourth quarter (Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, VASEP).
Although VASEP hoped to reach USD 4 billion (EUR 3.57 billion) in 2018, by 31 December official reports valued 2018 shrimp exports at USD 3.55 billion (EUR 3.16 billion). In the last quarter of 2018, Vietnam’s year-on- year export value declined in all major markets (EU -32 percent, China -26 percent, Korea -28 percent, USA -3.6 percent, Japan -2.4 percent). Shrimp production in Vietnam, on the other hand, increased to an estimated 800,000 metric tons (Directorate of Fisheries). Although this figure is certainly overestimated, production hypothetically increased by 10.6 percent compared to 2017.
