Vietnam seafood exports in May 2022 reached 1 billion USD

Accordingly, accumulated Vietnam seafood export in the first 5 months of 2022 brought a turnover of over 4.6 billion USD, going up 42% over the same period in 2021.

Seafood exports in May 2022 have slowed down slightly compared to the previous month mainly due to the reduction in shrimp export.  While April has experienced a dramatic increase of 47%, shrimp exports in May reached  US$416 million, an increase of 19%.  By the end of May, shrimp exports were estimated at about US$1.8 billion, up 38%, accounting for 39% of the total turnover of seafood exports.

Some enterprises state that shrimp exports in the first four months increased dramatically for four reasons. First, demand significantly recovered after the Covid pandemic; Secondly, the raw materials are available thanks to the reserve and inventory sources in 2021. Third, many enterprises succeeded in signing contracts with high prices at the end of last year in the complex development of Covid 19.  Fourth, global inflation in food and seafood has led to higher prices of exported shrimp. Finally, Vietnamese enterprises are gradually returning to international seafood fairs in the US and EU, etc.

However,  the unfavorable weather from the beginning of May would be a disadvantage for farmed shrimp. The first rain of the season comes earlier than usual, affecting shrimp production and signaling a negative sign in the source of shrimp materials. In May and the next few months, it is likely that shrimp materials supply will be in a shortage. Besides, the shrimp demand in some main import markets tends to slow down after a strong increase from the end of 2021 until now. Therefore, shrimp exports in the second quarter are expected to grow slower than in the first quarter.

Pangasius exports in May increased by 65% to 245 million USD, also a lower growth compared to April. However, accumulated pangasius exports in the first 5 months of the year remain at a high growth rate of nearly 90%, equivalent to over 1. 2 billion USD. This year, the record of the price inflation of food and seafood in the world is an advantage for Vietnam's pangasius exports. Pangasius exports grow sharply, especially in the US, EU, and China markets.

Tuna exports still maintained a high growth rate of 41% in May 2022, reaching over US$93 million. By the end of May 2022, tuna exports reached $461 million, an increase of 58% over the same period in 2021. Exports of other marine products such as cephalopods crabs, and mollusk shells are all going up but still lower than in April.

Moreover, the continuous war situation in Russia will affect economic sectors, including fishing, and the scarcity of raw materials consequencing from the high cost of fishing. Therefore, the source of marine materials for export processing will be the current difficult problem for enterprises.

Compiled by Thuy Linh