Vietnam’s pangasius export to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reached more than 7 million USD in the first quarter of this year, a rise of 67% against the same period last year. UAE mainly imported frozen fillets from Vietnam.
The Middle East country is a net importer of seafood products. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the UAE consumes around 220,000 tons of seafood products each year, with a per capita consumption volume of 28.6 kilos, higher than the global average.
There is significant room to expand pangasius exports to the UAE, given this market’s rising income and rapid urbanization.
Each year, Vietnam exports about 22,000-24,000 tons of seafood products to the UAE, worth around 50-70 million USD. Frozen pangasius fillet is the most popular export product of Vietnam to the country.
Vietnam’s pangasius export was estimated at 1.8 billion USD in 2023 and expected to reach 2 billion USD this year.