(vasep.com.vn) In QI/2013, seafood exports from Vietnam gained US$1.26 billion, 4.8 percent down over the same period of last year.
Sales of shrimp reached US$424.6 million, pangasius exports brought US$388.4 million and other US$ 400 million were obtained from marine fish.
Obstacles in consumer markets such as low demand, increasing of technical barriers and higher input costs hindered Vietnam seafood exports, Mr Truong Dinh Hoe, General Secretary of VASEP said.
In current firm situation, seafood companies strive to keep their operating status without expecting any growth, he said. Fish export results in QII/2013 is forecasted to continue to have a downward trend with US$1.4 billion, 2 percent down on that of the same period in 2012.
In the final results of the eighth antidumping duty administrative review (POR8) on certain frozen fish fillets from Vietnam from 1 August 2010 to 31 July 2011, pangasius fillets of 14 Vietnam companies exported to the U.S would be subjected to 0.77 – 3.87 USD/kg of antidumping duty for the period. The duty rate is 25 – 44 times higher over the results in POR7.
However, after the decision, the U.S importers have increased the purchasing price of fish to maintain their supply volume. Currently, pangasius price is higher than before the publication of POR8 final results.
In April 8th, all companies in the POR8 officially filed a petition to ask the Court of International Trade to arbitrate DOC’s change in choosing Indonesia as a surrogate country. In last reviews, DOC chose Bangladesh to value inputs of Vietnam raw pangasius used in processing.
The DOC made its valuation on whole live fish prices – the primary input to produce fish fillets – based on one Indonesian government pricing study, which was not based on actual prices, but calculated on national averages from a handful of districts. Hence, the decision is unfair.
Shrimp exports from Vietnam to the market is facing obstacles such as antidumping duty, and recent countervailing duty case. Shrimp sales to the market in QI/2013 fell by 2.8 percent in comparison with the same period of last year.