(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According Vietnam Customs, Vietnam shrimp shipment to the UK in Jan-May rose by 21.6% to touch US$44 million. However, sales in May 2016 reached US$6.8 million, down 27.7% from May 2015. Since the early year, May is the first month that Vietnam shrimp sales to the UK reported a year-on-year decline.
Vietnam shrimp exports to the UK in 2015 reported the increase in spite of the decline in shrimp exports to EU. Among the EU bloc, from the third position in importing shrimp from Vietnam in 2014, the UK surpassed to the second rank since the early 2015. Since Aug 2015, the UK surpassed Germany to take the lead in EU in importing Vietnamese shrimp.
Up to May 2016, the UK returned the top position for Germany with US$46 million of Vietnam’s shrimp exports to Germany in Jan-May 2016.
Rise in Vietnam shrimp sales to the UK was attributable to the market’s higher demand for warmwater shrimp amid decline in coldwater shrimp supply with high price.
According to Eurostat, in Jan-Apr 2016, imports of coldwater shrimp (Crangon crangon shrimp) into the UK reached 17 MT, down 80% from the same period of 2015 (85 MT). The average import price in the period reached EUR14.20/kg from EUR6.64/kg of the same period of 2015.
In Jan-Mar 2016, imports of warmwater shrimp (Penaeus spp) into the market reached 545 MT, up 146.6% year on year (221 MT) with the average import price of EUR9.44/kg from EUR9.25/kg of the same period of last year.
It is expected that Vietnam shrimp exports to the UK in Jun 2016 fell slightly due to instability of exchange rate caused by Brexit event in Jun 23, 2016.
Compiled by Kim Thu