(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2020, the fisheries sector experienced loads of difficulties such as export activities are interrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic; the consumption demand for high-value aquatic products contracted; the weather was not favorable for fisheries production, etc. Notwithstanding, according to the Directorate of Fisheries (D-Fish), Vietnam's total seafood production still rose by 1.8% to reach 8.4 million MT. Of which, the capture production reached 3.85 million MT, up 2.1%, the aquaculture production reached 4.56 million MT, up 1.5%, and the export turnover achieved US$8.4 billion.
Vietnam seafood production in 2020 continued to go up
By 2020, the total production of farmed shrimp reached 950,000 MT. Of which, black tiger shrimp attained 267.7 thousand MT, up 1%; white leg shrimp hit 632.3 thousand MT, up 8.5% over the same period, and other shrimp reached 50,000 MT. Pangasius production in 2020 got the result of 1,560,000 MT (equal to 96.9% over the same period).
In 2020, the production of pangasius breed in localities in the Mekong River Delta was stable. The region has about 120 establishments producing pangasius breeds (which kept pangasius broodstock); nearly 4,000 ha is nursing pangasius fish. Besides, provinces in the region have produced about 2 billion pangasius breed (equals to 100% compared to the same period in 2019) and have replaced 60,000 thousand pangasius broodstock. Therefore, the quality of pangasius has gradually improved.
In terms of fishing, in the first months of 2020, the weather was favorable for fishing activities, but in the last months of the year, due to the constant influence of tropical depression and storms on the Central Coast, capture fishing was affected.
At the Review Conference for 2020 of D-Fish, implementing the 2021 plan of the Directorate of Fisheries, Mr. Nguyen Nhu Tiep, Director of the Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Control Department, emphasized that 2020, despite the many difficulties, the fisheries sector has been developing quite well. The proof is that no business goes bankrupt, on the contrary, many businesses are newly established. Opportunities for the fisheries industry have still been enormous, especially in the Chinese market when many seafood species are allowed to be imported by this country.
Mr. Nguyen Hoai Nam from Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said that at the beginning of 2020, seafood export faced many difficulties. However, in the last months of the year, the situation changed very positively. Particularly in October 2020, seafood export reached US$900 million, the highest level in the months in the past five years. In the last two months of 2020, Vietnamese seafood has no shortage of customers, but businesses have difficulty in shipping due to the lack of containers and skyrocketing freight rates. It is expected that the situation will be more positive after the end of the first quarter.
Having the general comments on the whole industry in 2020, Director-General of the D-Fish Tran Dinh Luan emphasized that 2020 was an arduous year for the fisheries sector in all aspects. Nevertheless, the fisheries sector has obtained very favorable results, creating good growth momentum with high export value, especially when a series of agreements have come into effect, such as EVFTA, CPTPP ...
On the momentum of 2020, the fisheries sector targets a total production of about 8.5 million MT in 2021, of which, capture production would achieve about 3.61 million MT and aquaculture production of 4.9 million MT. Expected production of some species: pangasius would reach 1.5 million MT, brackish water shrimp hit 980 thousand MT (of which, black tiger shrimp would be 280 thousand MT, white leg shrimp would be 650 thousand MT, other shrimp would touch 50 thousand MT).