(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam seafood including shrimp is becoming more and more popular with Australian consumers. The market is opening wide door for Vietnam seafood, especially shrimp.
With population of over 22 million people and the high living standard, Australia is a potential market of Vietnam seafood. Australian per-capita seafood consumption now increases to 20 kilogram per year from 9 kg in 1950s.
Annually, Australia imports 200,000 MT of seafood, worth by nearly US$1 billion. Vietnam ranks the third in supplying seafood to the market after New Zealand and China. Shrimp takes the highest proportion among Vietnam’s seafood products to Australia, according to the Seafood Importers Association of Australia (SIAA).
In 2012, Vietnam shrimp exports to Australia reached over US$101 million, posting an 25.7 percent year-on-year increase and occupying 55 percent of the country’s total seafood export to the market. Through October 2013, shrimp exports to the market continue upward trend with a year-on-year growth of 14.3 percent. Vietnam remained the leading shrimp supplier to the market.
According to the International Trade Centre (ITC), through September 2013, Vietnam was the second largest supplier of processed shrimp to Australia after China and ranked the fourth position in supplying frozen shrimp to the market.
On November 27th, 2013, The Consulate General of Vietnam in Sydney cooperated with Vietnamese trade mission in Australia and Seafood Importers Association of Australia (SIAA) to hold the Vietnamese fishery industry conference, to promote seafood products from Vietnam.
Many Australian importers, restaurateurs and consumers attended to the conference and seafood banquet thereof.
In his opening speech, Mai Phuong Dzung, Head of Consulate General of Vietnam in Sydney highlighted potentials and advantages of the Vietnamese fishery industry, especially shrimp and pangasius supplies. Mr. Phuoc hoped that products from Vietnam would be more popular in Australian market, which has had a heavy reliance on imported seafood items.
Norman Grant, President of SIAA introduced participants the marine fish production chain in Vietnam, including aquaculture, fishing and processing activities. Vietnamese seafood has good quality, high nutrition level and meets international requirements on food safety. Australian consumers are more interested in marine products from Vietnam.
At the seafood banquet, visitors and gourmets highly appreciated Vietnam’s special marine fishes such as barramundi fillets, fried pangasius, grilled lobster, crab and cockle. They also suggested that Vietnam needed further promotion of marine products to make them popular in the market.