By Ha An - BizLIVE
Tuesday, October 22, 2019, 12:54 (GMT+7)
​English version: Silvera Food

Despite being affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, seafood exports to Japan and the US still increased slightly, only the EU and China fell sharply by nearly 30%.

Pangasius exports in the first 4 months of 2020 decreased to 29.3% due to a drop in demand in the Chinese market. Credit: www.vifep.com.vn
 

According to information from the Department of Agricultural Product Processing and Market Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the seafood export value in April 2020 was estimated at 563 million USD, bringing the seafood export value of the first 4 months of 2020 reached 2.18 billion USD, down 10% compared to the same period in 2019.

In particular, shrimp is the main export commodity with the value of 628.56 million USD, up 1.8% compared to the same period last year; crabs and other crustaceans reached 33.27 million, up 33.4%; pangasius 334.06 million USD, down 29.3%; tuna 146.47 million USD, down 10.4%; squid and octopus 107.44 million USD, down 21.1%.

Regarding export markets by the end of the first quarter of 2020, Japan, the United States, the EU and China are the top four import markets of Vietnam's seafood, accounting for 57.69% of the total seafood export value.
 

Seafood export turnover to some major markets (Unit: million USD)
 

Specifically, seafood export turnover to Japan reached 313.28 million USD, accounting for 19.40% of total export turnover, up 2.18% over the same period in 2019. The United States reached 286.76 million USD, accounting for 17.76%, up 01.21%; EU reached 185.68 million USD, accounting for 11.50%, down 28.27%; China reached 145.56 million USD, accounting for 9.02%, down 27.5%.

In the first 3 months of 2020, the market with the strongest export value of seafood is the Russian market, up 21.99% to USD 26.41 million.

Meanwhile, the import value of fishery products in April 2020 was estimated at 136 million USD, bringing the total value of imported seafood in the first 4 months of 2020 to 545 million USD, down 2.9% over the same period last year 2019.

Sources of seafood import in the first 3 months of 2020 are mainly from India (accounting for 14.9%), Norway (10.9%), Taiwan (9.1%), Japan (9%). and Indonesia (8.9%).

In the domestic market, at the beginning of the month, the price of raw shrimp in Bac Lieu decreased by 10,000-20,000 VND/ kg depending on the size but recovered again at the end of the month due to the supply shortage. The price of chilled white shrimp size 60 pieces/ kg is around 100,000 VND/ kg, 70 pieces/ kg 95,000 VND / kg, 100 pieces/ kg 90,000 VND/ kg. Prices of chilled black tiger shrimp of 20 pieces/ kg is around 180,000 VND/ kg, down 10,000 VND/ kg from the previous month, size of 30 pieces/ kg 140,000 VND/ kg, size of 40 pieces/ kg reduced by 15,000 VND/ kg, reaching 110,000 VND/ kg.

Since the beginning of April, domestic pangasius material market, especially in the Mekong Delta (Mekong Delta), has tended to be quieter due to the decline in export orders from most markets. because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

China, the largest market for Vietnamese pangasius products, has not yet fully recovered. The wholesale price of pangasius in the Mekong Delta decreased by 500 VND/ kg from the previous month, at about 18,000 VND/ kg for grade I pangasius whole round (700-900g/ piece). Demand for pangasius fish material in the market remained low. Big companies hardly buy fish outside but mostly from the affiliate farming systems.

Source: BizLIVE