Driven by greater volumes from the pangasius and shrimp farming sectors, Vietnam’s aquaculture producers harvested a total of 370,000 metric tons (MT) of products last month, an increase of 3.3 percent compared with May 2016, taking the overall volume for the first five months of the year to more than 1.2 million MT, up 2.4 percent year-on-year, reported the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
Vietnam’s pangasius output for the January through May period totaled 465,900 MT, an increase on 11.1 percent year-on-year, even though there was a 6.2 percent reduction in the farming area (3,092 hectares).
Despite the improved harvest, farm gate prices remained at high levels last month, averaging VND 24,000 (USD 1.06, EUR 0.95) to VND 26,0000 (USD 1.14, EUR 1.03) per kg. The price of fingerlings (1.5 to 2.5 cm), meanwhile, ranged from VND 27,000 (USD 1.19, EUR 1.06) to VND 50,000 (USD 2.20, EUR 1.97) per kg.
The country’s shrimp farming area during the aforementioned period increased by 6.8 percent to 597,000 hectares, producing 144,000 MT of product – up 46.2 percent year-on-year.
Again, VASEP said prices stayed at a high level, with black tiger shrimp securing VND 340,000 (USD 14.96, EUR 13.41) per kg for the size of 15 pieces per kg, and 25-30 sizes fetching VND 230,000 (USD 10.12, EUR 9.07) per kg.
Vietnam exported USD 618 million (EUR 553.7 million) worth of shrimp in the first-quarter of this year, which was on par with Q1 2016, with products going to 68 markets. Of this total, Vietnam's whiteleg shrimp exports totaled USD 391.7 million (EUR 350.9 million), an increase of 10.6 percent, while exports of black tiger shrimp amounted to USD 168.7 million (EUR 151.1 million), down 21 percent compared with Q1 2016. Shipments of marine shrimp reached USD 57.9 million (EUR 51.9 million), up 12.3 percent year-on-year.
Vietnam’s shrimp exports for 2017 as a whole are forecast to reach USD 3.4 billion (EUR 3 billion), up 9 percent compared to last year. Of this, its whiteleg shrimp exports are expected to account for around USD 2 billion (EUR 1.8 billion) – up 8 percent, while its black tiger shrimp exports will increase 2 percent in value to USD 900 million (EUR 806.4 million).
Its total shrimp harvest is expected to increase slightly to 660,000 MT this year.
Vietnam’s pangasius exports achieved a total value of USD 371.2 million (EUR 332.6 million) in the Q1 2017, an increase of 1.6 percent compared to the corresponding period of 2016.
In 2017, pangasius producers are expected to yield a total of 1.2 million MT of fish.
