(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first three months of 2017, Vietnam’s shrimp exports continued the upward trend with the value of US$118.8 million, a year-on-year increase of 6.4%. In the period, the EU remained as the second largest importing market of Vietnam shrimp, accounting for 19.2% of Vietnam’s total shrimp exports.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to the International Trade Centre (ITC), shrimp imports into Japan in the last four years (2011-2015) tended to decrease.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Bac Lieu province is considered to be the second largest locality in Vietnam country in terms of farming area and output of shrimp. Particularly, in recent years, the province has developed a model of high-tech shrimp farming to become the centre of industrial shrimp farming in the country.

Vietnam aims to expand shrimp aquaculture on sandy land to 7,000 hectares by 2025, produce some 110,000 tonnes per crop, and ensure 70 percent of these areas have developed infrastructure, according to the Directorate of Fisheries at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After a positive growth of 6.7% in 2016, Vietnam’s shrimp exports in the first 3 months of 2017 tended to level off with the value of US$618 million, equal to the same period last year.

The production of finished products of shrimp in the first quarter of 2017 of Sao Ta Foods Join Stock Company (Fimex VN; FMC) reached 2,311 MT, increased slighly in compare with that in 2016( 2,265 MT).

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Netherlands ranks the 9th in importing shrimp in the world. Shrimp imports into the Netherlands in 2015 accounted for 2.8% of total shrimp imports of the world. In the period (2012-2016), shrimp imports into the Netherlands peaked in 2014 then fell in 2015 in line with the global downward trend. From 2016 until now, imports of Dutch shrimp have signs of recovery. Not only domestic consumption, the Netherlands also imports shrimp to export to the internal market.

Farmers in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta region have begun this year’s first harvest season of brackish water shrimp, earning strong profits due to high prices and favourable breeding conditions.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After the recovery in 2016, shrimp exports of Vietnam started 2017 with the downward momentum. Export value in Jan 2017 reached US$198.7 million; down 12.6% over the same period in 2016. In Feb 2017, export value increased 18.7% compared with February 2016. Despite the increase in February, the total shrimp export value in the first two months of this year reached nearly US$378 million; slightly decreasing by 0.1% over the same period in 2016.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has submitted to the Prime Minister a national action plan for the development of the shrimp industry through 2025.

The Mekong Delta province of Ca Mau targets to have 280,000 hectares of prawn farming with an output of 280,000 tonnes per year by 2020.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On April 10, 2017 the news site SEAFOODNEWS.COM has posted an article titled “Vietnam Tightens Inspections after Reports of Shrimp Processors Injecting Shrimp with Agar”. The article mentions about state of injecting agar into shrimp in some shrimp facilities in Vietnam.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ca Mau province (Vietnam) aims to produce 20 billion of shrimp seed including 12 billion of black tiger shrimp seeds and 8 billion of whiteleg shrimp seeds in 2020.

Vietnam’s shrimp exports are expected to reach between 4.5 – 5 billion USD by 2020, with an annual increase of between 9.5 – 12 percent.

A conference was held in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang on March 23 to discuss how to realize the 10 billion USD shrimp export target by 2025 as requested by the Prime Minister.