Vietnam exported USD 1.3 billion (EUR 1.1 billion) worth of pangasius to overseas markets in the first three-quarters of last year, an increase in value of almost 6 percent. However, sales to two of its most important markets, the United States and the EU, decreased significantly.
For the first nine months of 2017, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the U.S. market totaled USD 258.3 million (EUR 210.8 million), down 9.9 percent year-on-year. The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) cited the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to check all shipments of Vietnamese pangasius (as of 2 August 2017) and the new high tariff of USD 2.39 (EUR 1.95) per kg as reasons for the decline in the trade.
In August and September 2017, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the States decreased by 54.6 percent and 41.2 percent respectively, compared with the corresponding months of the previous year.
At the same time, Vietnam’s pangasius shipments to the EU for August and September 2017 decreased by 8.4 percent and 23.7 percent respectively year-on-year. VASEP said the monthly export value of its EU-bound pangasius in the third-quarter ranged from USD 15 million (EUR 12.2 million) to USD 19.4 million (EUR 15.8 million).
The association highlighted that pangasius faced strong competition from other whitefish products in European markets.
Pangasius exports to China and Hong Kong, however, largely offset the U.S. and EU declines, with the trade for the January through September 2017 period valued at USD 288.1 million (EUR 235.1 million), up almost 43 percent year-on-year.
Vietnam has also seen strong growth in its pangasius exports to Brazil, with the South American country buying in USD 77.1 million (EUR 62.9 million) worth of products over the nine months, an increase of 66.7 percent compared with the same period of 2016.
