(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam pangasius export to the Philippines keeps growing over the ten recent years. From the smallest consumer of Vietnam pangasius, the Philippines have now climbed to the second place among ASEAN countries in importing the fish from Vietnam.
Regarding statistics from Vietnam Customs, shipment of pangasius products to the Philippines reported monthly consecutive growth from February to July 2012. It only saw drop in January and reached the highest volume and value of sales in March. The year-to-date revenue from fish export to the market totaled US$15.7 million, up 17.5 percent over the same period of 2011. In which, July sales brought back US$2 million, up 80.6 percent from July 2011, the strongest growth among pangasius-consuming countries in ASEAN. The market may become the biggest importer in ASEAN market if it continues to increase import in the last months of the year.
In the recent years, this country also tends to focus on strengthening domestic pangasius production. Philippines government and the fish industry started learning fish farming experiences from pangasius producing and processing companies in Vietnam
In addition, Bataan Hotel and Restaurant Owner's Association (BHROA) is considering to use domestic pangasius to replace outside fish supply in the association’s restaurants members. It means that the country may reduce more imports of fish from Vitenam in the next future.
However, pangasius fish production reached 795.35 MT in the first quarter of 2012, down 8.66 percent from the same quarter last year, according to statistics from Philippines Department of Agriculture. The country reported dropping volume of fish in ponds and lakes.
Currently, fish production cost is still so high in the Philippines, 3 times higher than that in Vietnam. Therefore, it is so hard for Philippines fish to compete with Vietnamese ones.