(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Currently, there are nearly 30 Vietnamese pangasius enterprises exporting to the Colombian market. However, in the first four months, pangasius exports volume into this market didn’t come up to the expectations of many enterprises.
Nam Viet's pangasius portions
In the first four months, the total export volume of pangasius to Colombian market reached 15.7 million USD, a decrease of 1,7% comparing to last year. In this period, Viet Nam focused mainly on exporting frozen pangasius fillet, frozen pangasius whole round, frozen pangasius portion and steak to this market.
The decrease in pangasius export volume into this market in the first four months of the year is a distinct trend in comparison to previous years. In the top ten exporting markets of Vietnamese enterprises, Columbia still remains one of the most potential markets in South America. But according to the assessment, this decrease is only temporary and Vietnam’s pangasius exports to this market are expected to grow gradually in the near future.
In the post-pandemic era, the Colombian economy was negatively affected when 50% of the population fell into poverty, along with increasing inflation and cost of living, making consumption become more expensive.
Having the advantage of being an advanced freshwater aquaculture country in South America with the strength of tilapia production, however, in recent years, Colombian trading partners have been steadily ordering frozen pangasius products from Vietnam.
The pangasius exports first dock through two main designated ports: Buenaventura and Cartagena. Afterwards, the importer would sell them through diverse distribution channels in major urban centers such as: Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla and Bucaramanga.
Vietnam and China are the top two suppliers of whitefish to Colombia, in which frozen Vietnamese pangasius is still accounting for a dominant market shares. The Colombian market still have many potentials that have not yet to be discovered, with the import price of frozen pangasius is quite stable of around 3,25-3,5 USD/kg.
Compiled by My Hanh