Vietnam exported tilapia products worth USD 14 million (EUR 12.4 million) in the first six months of this year, representing an eight-fold leap on the corresponding period of 2015, according to new figures published by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
The Southeast Asian country’s tilapia exporters experienced a 4.6 percent decrease in trade last year with sales totaling USD 34 million (EUR 30 million). This had followed three years of strong growth.
The United States has remained the No. 1 market for Vietnamese tilapia with the import value totaling USD 2 million (EUR 1.8 million) in the first-half of this year, three times higher than in H1 2015. Imports mainly comprised fresh/chilled fillets.
Vietnam’s second-most important market was Colombia with exports totaling USD 1.6 million (EUR 1.4 million), followed by the EU with USD 1.5 million (EUR 1.3 million).
VASEP said a rise in demand, higher import prices and the expansion of Vietnam’s tilapia sector will drive its exports up to USD 45 million (EUR 39.8 million) this year, up 32 percent compared to 2015.
