Vietnam is expected to have exported close to USD 1.7 billion (EUR 1.6 billion) worth of pangasius in 2016 when final trade figures are published, an increase of 7 percent compared with the previous year, said the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP). The farmed whitefish accounted for 24 percent of the country’s total turnover from its seafood exports.
In total, Vietnamese pangasius was shipped to 137 different markets in 2016. The United States was the No.1 destination for the product, accounting for 23 percent of the total earnings. China leapfrogged the EU to become the second most important market with a 17 percent share. The EU accounted for 16 percent of Vietnam’s export earnings.
According to VASEP, in both August and September last year, Vietnam exported between USD 20 million (EUR 18.8 million) and USD 21 million (EUR 19.8 million) worth of pangasius to the EU, while exports to China in the same two months amounted to between USD 30 million (EUR 28.3 million) and USD 31 million (EUR 29.2 million) and were almost equal with the United States. In the fourth-quarter, shipments to China outstripped the U.S. trade.
While export figures for the full year are not yet available, in the first 11 months of 2016 Vietnam exported USD 354.2 million (EUR 333.6 million) worth of pangasius to the United States and USD 270.6 million (EUR 254.9 million) worth to China/Hong Kong, representing year-on-year increases of 22.2 percent and 84.4 percent respectively.
Its pangasius exports to the EU during this period amounted to USD 238.8 million (EUR 224.9 million), down almost 10 percent year-on-year.
In the first half of 2017, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to major importing markets such as the United States, China and ASEAN countries are expected to continue to grow, but exports to the EU are projected to decrease by 3 to 5 percent, said VASEP.
For the year as a whole, Vietnam’s pangasius exports are forecast to go beyond USD 1.7 billion.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) reported that pangasius output in the Mekong Delta totaled 1.19 million metric tons (MT), with a farming area of more than 5,500 hectares. In 2017, the area for pangasius farming is expected to increase slightly to 5,600 hectares with a yield of 1.2 million MT.
