According to the latest figure published by VASEP Vietnam has exported 375,026MT of seafood worth US$1.274 billion in Jan-April, marking a rise of 22.1 percent in volume and 20.6 percent in value compared with the same period last year. The main market of Vietnamese seafood is the US and, Japan and EU, together representing nearly 60 percent of the country’s total seafood export value, with high growth rate, respectively up 26.3 percent (US$215.860 million), 21.5 percent (US$227.129 million), and 17 percent (US$317.403 million) compared with the same period of 2009.
It is no doubt that EU is the largest destination of Vietnamese seafood, importing 106,192MT, worth US$317.403 million, year-on-year increase of 13 percent in volume and 17 percent in value. Despite anti-dumping rates imposed on Viet Nam’s two staples – shrimp and Pangasius, US market is increasing with each day. The U.S. is now the second largest importer of Vietnamese shrimp, just behind Japan, with growing demand. Viet Nam’s shrimp exports to the U.S. are enjoying much advantages given reduced shrimp farming area in Ecuador, ongoing shrimp farming crop in Asian countries, and the U.S ban on shrimp import from Mexico due to violation of sea tortoise protection regulation.
