(seafood.vasep.com.vn) By the end of July 2020, the total value of pangasius exports to the US market reached US$133.7 million, down 20.2% over the same period in 2019. However, the export value to this market in July rose slightly by 4.4%. After COVID-19, several good signals restarting in Spain, the UK, and the US have made the picture of pangasius export to the US this month more optimistic.
During the past 3 years, China, the US, and the EU were still the three largest and highly expected markets of Vietnamese pangasius exporters. Therefore, every move and developments from these markets have a great impact on the psychology of Vietnamese pangasius exporters. In which, the US was one of the special markets.
Earlier this year, Vietnamese pangasius exporters have high hopes for positive growth to the US market after a year of declining months.
In the first quarter of 2020, only in January 2020, pangasius export value to the US plunged by 55.3%, then spiked by 67% and 26.3%, respectively over the same period in the remaining two months of the quarter.
However, since the second quarter, when the US became the center of the COVID-19 pandemic, the sudden increase in coronavirus infections has brought the US foodservice industry back into an epidemic prevention state.
As of June 2020, at least 16 states have halted or canceled reopening plans in response to an increase in COVID-19 infections. These states include Arizona, Texas, California, Florida, New York, and New Jersey. This has a great impact on the import and export of pangasius to the US market.
For the three consecutive months from April to June 2020, pangasius export value to the US decreased by 20.7%, 52.1%, and 31.5%, respectively over the same period in 2019.