(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The complicated developments of the Covid-19 epidemic continue in the world as well as in the country, significantly affecting trade and production activities. However, thanks to Vietnam's effective epidemic control solutions along with relatively favorable weather conditions and a slight increase in the prices of aquatic products, in the first 5 months of 2021, the fishery industry has kept growing. Total fishery production in May was estimated at 782.8 thousand tons, up 4.2% over the same period in 2020. Seafood export value in the first 5 months of 2021 reached US$3.27 billion, up 12% compared to same period in 2020.
Fishery output in the first 5 months of the year reached 3.3 million tons
According to a report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the total fishery production in May was estimated at 782.8 thousand tons, up 4.2% over the same period in 2020. Accumulated in the first 5 months, the total output seafood was estimated at 3.3 million tons, up 2.6% over the same period last year. In which, aquaculture production in May was estimated at 417 thousand tons, up 6.7% over the same period last year, bringing the accumulated output to approximately 1.7 million tons, up 3.7% over the same period last year. The fishing output in May was estimated at 365.8 thousand tons, up 1.5% over the same period last year, bringing the cumulative output of 5 months to over 1.6 million tons, increased by 1.4% over the same period in 2020.
Tuna catch decreased by 9% over the same period in 2020
In the first 5 months of 2021, although the weather at sea is relatively favorable, however, the catches of ocean tuna in different locations decreased slightly. The output of bigeye and yellowfin tuna of 30kg/head or more was estimated at 8,522 tons, down 9% over the same period in 2020. Of which, tuna catch in Phu Yen reached 1,819 tons, down 4%; in Binh Dinh was estimated at 5,493.9 tons, down 5.8%; in Khanh Hoa was estimated at 1,209 tons, up 15.1% over the same period in 2020.
Output of brackish water shrimp increased significantly
The output of brackish water shrimp in May was estimated at 81 thousand tons, up 0.2% over the same period last year, bringing the accumulated output in first 5 months of 2021 to 253.6 thousand tons, up 6% over the same period in 2020. Of which, the output of black tiger shrimp in 5 months is estimated at 85.8 thousand tons, up 1.6%; whiteleg shrimp production was estimated at 167.8 thousand tons, up 8.4% over the same period in 2020.
The production of whiteleg shrimp has escalated due to the shift to intensive farming and good disease control, meeting the needs of export and domestic consumption. In addition, this is the time of high harvest to supply raw materials for processing factories filling market orders .
For pangasius, the output in May was estimated at 117.3 thousand tons, up 1.2% over the same period last year, bringing the accumulated accumulation in the first 5 months to 523.9 thousand tons, up 2.8% compared to the same period last year. Some provinces have large pangasius farming areas in the first 5 months of the year with the output increased quite well, such as: Dong Thap reached 120.6 thousand tons; An Giang reached 196.9 thousand tons. Because the demand for importing pangasius products in some major markets such as China and markets in South America tends to increase slightly in the first months of the year, the price of raw pangasius is increasing compared to the same period last year. For the domestic market, the price of raw pangasius in the Mekong Delta provinces increased slightly by 200 VND/kg to 21,500 - 21,700 VND/kg for the fish of size 800g - 1.1kg/pc.