From January to September 2010 Vietnam registered strong growth in the export of seafood. Official data shows that nearly 700.000 tons of seafood to 152 markets globally, worth US$3.5 billion, up 10.9 percent in volume and 15.4% in value over the same period last year. In September 2010 alone, Vietnam exported more than 126 thousand tons of seafood, with the value at US$500 million, rising respectively 4.4 percent and 18.5 percent in volume and value year-to-year.
In this seafood export scenario the largest share was of shrimp, 40.7 percent with 167 thousand tons, valued US$1.42 billion, up 14.2 percent and 22.1 percent in volume and value against the same period last year.
The second position was secured by pangasius, 29 percent with 475 thousand tons, worth more than US$1 billion, up 6.4 percent in volume and 2.1 percent in value year-to-year. Mollusk ranked the third with over 88 thousand tons,valued US$339 million, down 2.9 percent in volume and 6 percent in value over the same period last year. Tuna export achieved 62 thousand tons with the value of US$ 221 million, with 55 percent increase of value and 70 percent rise in value year-to-year.
The biggest market of Vietnamese seafood is US with US$667 million in the first 9 months of 2010, an increase of 37 percent over the same period last year. The U.S imported over 108 thousand tons of seafood in the 9 months and accounted for 19 percent of the Vietnamese export turnover. Japan came second with US$642 million, up 20.7 percent over the same period last year.
