(vasep.com.vn) Portugal is the largest importer of bivalve mollusk and the eighth biggest consumer of cephalopod from Vietnam in the EU block. The country is one of three leading fish consumer markets in the EU after Spain and Italia. According to the report by CBI, seafood demand of Portuguese market has not been strongly impacted by economic crisis in the EU.
Thus, this is considered as a potential for seafood products of Vietnam.
In the first eight months of this year, Vietnam mollusk exports to Portugal kept more stable than to many other countries in the EU. Bivalve mollusk sales to the market went up consecutively with high growth levels of 12.9 – 120.9 percent in comparison with those of the same period of last year.
Cephalopod exports to the market also saw the great growth with 5 – 180 percent in this period. To the end of August 2012, cephalopod and bivalve export value to Portugal increased 21 percent and 31.3 percent respectively over those of 2011.
Currently, fish demand of Portugal much depends on imported sources and fish products are popular and well consumed in the North and the Central of the country. In the first seven months of this year, octopus made up highest proportion with 30 percent of the total mollusk import by the country.
Octopus is popular in Portugal and is served in seafood salad, cooked octopus or octopus with noodle. In 2005 – 2010, octopus import into the country went up averagely by 16 percent in both volume and value. Octopus supply coming from developing countries for Portugal has increase by 9 percent.
Vietnam mollusk exports to Portugal have increased in past three years. Clam is the main product of Vietnam exported to Portugal in Jan – Aug 2012, representing 47 percent of its mollusk export to the market.