(pangasius-vietnam.com) Vietnamese pangasius exports to Thailand reached US$26.1 million through September 2013, up 71 percent from the same period of 2012, according to Vietnam Customs. Thailand was Vietnam’s second largest pangasius importer in ASEAN, after Singapore; but sales to this destination got the highest growth.
So far this year, pangasius kept reporting year-on-year growth in monthly exports to Thailand. The growth rate even hit the peak of 200 percent.
This rise was because price for the fish has been steady in the Thai market over the nine months of 2013. Vietnamese pangasius products were more and more choiced by local consumers, according to some Vietnamese companies. However, Thailand is a demanding market with strict requirements on quality, food safety and products’ designs. This requires Vietnamese exporters to ensure the quality of exported products to develop their shares in this potential market.
Beside Vietnamese pangasius, Thailand bought catfish from the U.S. but with a very small volume. Its imports of tilapia were also reduced as pangasius and Alaska pollock got larger market shares.
As predictions of some Vietnamese exporters, pangasius sales to Thailand continue to keep growth of nearly 20 percent. Thailand will be the leading partner of Vietnamese pangasius in ASEAN.
Thailand recently announced its plan to be seafood-producing hub of ASEAN by 2015. With rich marine stocks and fish grounds in Pacific and India oceans, the country strives to become one of the world largest marine fish suppliers. However, Thai catfish production has remained low, so it still has to import pangasius from Vietnam to serve the domestic market.