Vietnam’s pangasius exports totaled USD 927.8 million (EUR 830.8 million) in the first seven months of this year, an increase of 4.1 percent compared with the corresponding period of 2015, with growth seen in both its U.S. and China trades.
For the January through July 2016, the U.S. imported USD 213.7 million (EUR 191.4 million) worth of pangasius from the Southeast Asian country, an increase of 15.8 percent year-on-year.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, in the first-half of 2016, the imported volume increased 13 percent but the value dropped compared to the same period last year, leading to an average import price of USD 2.50-2.70 (EUR 2.24-2.42) per kg for the period, down from USD 2.80-3.20 (EUR 2.51-2.87) per kg in H1 2015.
Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said the U.S. import price of frozen pangasius fillets has remained relatively low compared with some other whitefish products such as frozen tilapia fillets at USD 4.30-4.60 (EUR 3.85-4.12) per kg, frozen haddock at USD 6.30-6.60 (EUR 5.64-5.91) per kg and fresh/chilled tilapia at USD 7.10-7.80 (EUR 6.36-6.98) per kg.
In spite of the increase in export value, the number of enterprises engaged in exporting pangasius to the U.S. market decreased due to high anti-dumping tax, said VASEP.
Meanwhile, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to China/Hong Kong totaled USD 140.9 million (EUR 126.1 million), an increase of 65.3 percent year-on-year.
China imports pangasius for its domestic consumption, as well as processing and re-exporting to the United States.
The United States and China account for 23 percent and 15.2 percent of Vietnam’s total pangasius exports, respectively.
