Up 16.3% in pangasius exports to Thailand

In QI/2016, the export value of pangasius to Thailand, the largest market out of the ASEAN countries, registered a year-on-year rise of 16.3%. This country stays as a large and potential pangasius importing market from Vietnam. In the past 3 years, Thailand has been the competitor of Vietnam’s shrimp, tuna and cephalopod in ASEAN as well as an important and strategic partner for Vietnam’s seafood exports. In 2015, despite the year-on-year slump in pangasius export value to some major markets (the U.S, the EU, Brazil, the Netherlands, Mexico, and Colombia), sales to Thailand increased by 8% from 2014.

Thanks to competitive prices, pangasius products from Vietnam are increasingly popular in Thailand. So far, frozen pangasius fillets of Vietnam become the most preferred product among whitefish products in Thailand.

According to the ITC, in 2015, the total whitefish import value into Thailand increased by 3% over the previous year, of which, imports of frozen pangasius fillets from Vietnam went up 12%. Out of whitefish products imported into Thailand, frozen pangasius fillets (HS code 030462) made up nearly 60% of the total import value. The country has also increased imports of frozen Alaska pollock meat, frozen cod fillets, and frozen tilapia fillets, however, these products took up a small proportion of whitefish imports into Thailand.

In the late 2015, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) was established, both Thailand and Vietnam had taken a lot of advantages. The AEC would create great opportunities for both Vietnam and Thailand in the region with over 600 million people.

Written by Ta Ha

Compiled by Dieu Thuy