According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), since the beginning of this year, pangasius exports to most markets remained positive with an export turnover of US$425 million, up 15% over the same period last year.
Remarkably, Vietnam pangasius exports to the U.S. were up nearly 50 percent, Mexico up 15.5 percent and Brazil up 26.2 percent from that of the same period last year. Among EU block, Spain is pangasius importer from Vietnam having the highest growth.
According to experts, although fish sales to many markets showed bright outlook, pangasius production and trade are encountering a lot of challenges. The reduction in raw fish price continued to make pangasius farmers worry.
The raw fish price in many provinces in the Mekong Delta is fluctuating at VND23,000-24,000 per kilogram, VND2,000 per kilogram lower than that of two weeks ago. The number of fish in ponds are only 200,000 MT.
With low selling price of raw fish, many farmers can abandon farming ponds, leading to a shortage of raw fish for processing and exporting in the near time. Some fish farmers, who want to continue farming, are facing a lot of bottlenecks such as lack of investment capital and inaccessibility to bank loans because the banks hesitate to lend fish farmers due to high risk.
Another difficulty is shortage of fish seed for restocking due to high mortality rate of seed in many hatcheries. According to many domestic pangasius exporters, raw fish supply from fish farmers can’t meet the demand for processing and exporting. Raw fish supply from fish farmers is estimated to satisfy less than 20 percent of fish processor’s demand this year while enterprises can only meet 50 percent of raw fish for operating through their owned farms.
Besides, pangasius exporters also cope with rocketing production cost and hardly obtain low interest rate loans. In addition, debts from some seafood enterprises forced banks to begin tightening credit control, making it difficult for seafood enterprises to access to capital.
Timely solutions
In the last 9 months of 2012, seafood enterprises and farmers need to cooperate closely with each other in pangasius production and trading. The Government should support capital for fish producers to meet their credit demand for operating. Banks should consider ‘more flexible lending’ for fish farmers such as releasing unsecured loans or lending money based on signed contracts between fish farmers and enterprises instead of loans with mortgage (cultivated land and other assets).
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development will continue to call for supportive policies of credit from the government. Besides, the close linkage among 4 sides: Government, scientists, enterprises and farmers needs to be intensified in pangasius production to raise fish price and the value of pangasius in importing markets.
Apart from state policies, localities should encourage fish farmers to apply sustainable standards such as VietGAP, GlobalGAP to ensure a stable supply of raw material with high quality.
To strengthen fish exports to new markets, enterprises should obey all terms in the contracts, ensure fish quality, and obey strictly requirements or regulations from seafood importers. This is also a main content which was discussed in the conference of pangasius production in quarter I/2012 held by VASEP in Ho Chi Minh city in April 17th 2012. The conference addressed pangasius producing and exporting situation, raw fish supply, market trend, some measures to develop sustainable pangasius industry.
In the conference, VASEP also gave fish farmers and competent agencies overall information about trend of importing markets and pangasius exports in the first three months of 2012.
(vasep.com.vn) On November 11, 2026, in Can Tho, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) will organize the Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026) under the theme “Seafood Market Outlook 2027–2029: Opportunities and Headroom for Double-Digit Export Growth.”
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Business leader Do Ngoc Tai, General Director of Tai Kim Anh Seafood Processing Joint Stock Company, was honored by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) with the title “Outstanding Vietnamese Entrepreneur – Thanh Giong Cup 2026” at a ceremony celebrating Vietnam Entrepreneurs’ Day (October 13). The event took place on the evening of October 11, 2026, at the National Convention Center in Hanoi.
(vasep.com.vn) The global tilapia market is becoming increasingly segmented, not only among producing countries but also by product type and destination market. Supply is divided into groups with distinct competitive advantages: large volumes of whole fish and frozen fillets from Asia, high-value fresh fillets from Latin America, and substantial domestic consumption in several major producing countries.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports to the UK grew in the first eight months of 2026, despite signs of slowing import demand in the market. However, sharp fluctuations in orders, competition from major suppliers, and new traceability requirements are creating challenges for Vietnamese exporters.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam is stepping up efforts to combat illegal fishing, protect marine ecosystems, expand digital monitoring, and develop science-based management to ensure the sea can support communities and the economy for generations to come.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The EU remains a critical market for Vietnamese shrimp; however, purchasing demand and import patterns are undergoing notable changes. According to Vietnam Customs data, as of September 15, 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the EU reached nearly $374 million, down 5% year-over-year and accounting for 10.7% of the country’s total shrimp export value. Meanwhile, the EU’s stotal shrimp imports through July 2026 contracted by 7% in volume, exhibiting divergent trends across Southern Europe, Northwestern Europe and Eastern Europe. These dynamics necessitate that Vietnamese enterprises closely monitor individualized market demand, rather than approaching the EU as a monolithic consumer block.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of surimi and fish cakes remained relatively stable year-over-year compared to 2025. Following a contraction in the initial months, export performance demonstrated improvement from June onward, peaking in August. However, the recovery has been uneven, characterized by divergent trends across major markets: robust growth was recorded in China, Japan, Malaysia, the United States, and Taiwan, whereas export volumes to South Korea, Indonesia, and select European markets contracted.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Pangasius remains one of Dong Thap’s key aquaculture species, with the province focusing on developing an integrated value chain covering seed production, commercial farming, deep processing and by-product utilization. The province is promoting high-tech, circular pangasius farming models featuring reduced water exchange and enhanced biosecurity, aiming to improve production efficiency and strengthen control over raw material quality.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports in September 2026 are estimated at US$1.135 billion, up 11.9% year-on-year, bringing total exports in the first nine months of the year to US$9.103 billion, up 11.4%. Behind this double-digit growth, however, increasingly divergent market trends are emerging: China–Hong Kong and ASEAN posted strong growth, while the U.S., EU and Japan all recorded declines in September.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Brazil became the largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, with export value reaching US$44 million, up 22,142% year-on-year and accounting for 49% of Vietnam’s total tilapia exports. In August alone, exports to Brazil reached US$4 million. However, behind this remarkable growth is a market that is imposing increasingly stringent requirements on imported supplies.
VASEP - HIỆP HỘI CHẾ BIẾN VÀ XUẤT KHẨU THỦY SẢN VIỆT NAM
Chịu trách nhiệm: Ông Nguyễn Hoài Nam - Phó Tổng thư ký Hiệp hội
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