(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first 5 months of this year, Vietnam cephalopod exports to Japan hit US$36.32 million, down 4.1% compared to the same period of 2015. Japan is the 2nd largest importer, making up 25.5% of total Vietnam cephalopod exports.
According to data from the International Trade Centre (ITC), in Jan-May 2016, Japan imported 35,637 MT of cephalopod from 23 countries worldwide, with the largest volume from China. In the first 5 months of this year, China exported 10,495 MT of cephalopod to Japan, followed by Morocco and Mauritania with the volume of 11,772 MT and 4,452 MT, respectively. In the period, Vietnam exported 3,777 MT of cephalopod to Japan and stayed as the 4th largest supplier of cephalopod to this market.
The average price of cephalopod imported into Japan in the first 5 months of this year was in the range of US$6.25 to US$6.86 per kg.
Out of top 5 cephalopod exporters to Japan, the average export price of Thailand to this market reached the highest. Those from the others were the same. The export price of Vietnam to Japan in Jan-May 2016 was about US$6.4-7.06/kg.
Japan currently increased imports of cephalopod for its domestic consumption. This was partly driven by an enhancement in tightening catch limits of Japan's Fisheries Agency to address concerns about overfishing in its waters. On the other hand, the yen up against the dollar is an advantage for cephalopod suppliers to Japan. Currently, the USD to JPY exchange rate is 1 USD = 106 JPY, while in March it was 1 USD = 110 JPY.
Japan stays as the 3th largest importer of frozen octopus (HS code 030759) in the world, accounting for nearly 20%. Meanwhile, it is the leading importer of processed octopus (HS code 160555), accounting for over 45%.
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The average import price of frozen octopus into Japan (HS code 030759) (US$/kg)
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Suppliers
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Jan
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Feb
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Mar
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Apr
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May
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Morocco
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6.21
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5.8
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5.8
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6.18
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6.44
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Mauritania
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6.19
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6.36
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6.51
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7.05
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6.83
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China
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8.03
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7.96
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8.07
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7.85
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7.94
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Vietnam
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5.36
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5.41
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5.01
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5.29
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6.11
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Mexico
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5.48
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6.1
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7.09
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8.12
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7.71
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Thailand
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4.65
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4.37
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4.5
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4.7
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4.44
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Senegal
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8.33
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5.46
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Indonesia
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6.93
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7.26
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6.9
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7.6
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5.53
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Malaysia
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5.2
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5.83
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Greece
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8.85
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Written by Ngoc Thuy
Compiled by Dieu Thuy