Vietnam cephalopod sales to Israel go on the rise

In the period, Israel increased imports of Vietnam squid, especially live/fresh/frozen item. This year, Vietnam’s exports of squid products to the market all recorded the climbs over the same period in 2016. According to statistics from Vietnam Customs, the export value of live/fresh/frozen squid in Jan-Jun 2017 hit US$3.3 million, accounting for 91% of Vietnam’s cephalopod exports to this market; followed by other processed squid with US$284 million, making up 8%. This year, Vietnam has exported dried squid to this market; however the export value was small.

Despite a rise in cephalopod imports from Vietnam, imports of this item from other countries in the world into Israel were on the downward trend. Total import value of this product into the country in the first four months of 2017 decreased by 16% year on year.

This year, Israel tends to reduce imports of live/fresh/frozen squid and increase those of processed and fresh/frozen/chilled octopus. In the first four months of the year, imports of processed squid showed the impressive growth of 634% while those of fresh/frozen squid decreased by 98% year on year.

Israel currently imported cephalopod from 7 countries in the world. In particular, Vietnam currently stayed as the largest supplier of cephalopod to this market, followed by India and the Philippines. Exports from these countries took up 59%, 27% and 7%, respectively. In the first four months of this year, cephalopod imports into Israel from all these countries increased over the same period, except for Thailand.