Seafood export in 2012 reached over US$ 6.1 billion

Shipment to major markets witnessed a sluggish growth in which shipments to EU reported a consecutive decline (-14.8 percent in the full year) due to regional low demand for seafood and slow payment caused by sovereign debt crisis.

In 2012, due to shortage of raw material and global economic crisis in main consumer markets, exports of key farmed fish reported negative results. In which, shrimp shipment slid by 6.6 percent and pangasius export slid by 3.4 percent.

However, exports of marine caught fish posted positive results in which shipment of tuna and other marine finfish up 50.1 percent and 21.1 percent, respectively.

Surpassing EU, the U.S. became the largest importer of Vietnam seafood, representing almost 20 percent of total seafood value with US$1.19 billion, up 1.2 percent from 2011. In which, shrimp exports to the market hit US$454.5 million, down 18.6 percent over 2011; pangasius exports reached US$358.8 million, up 8.2 percent over 2011.

In 2012, seafood exports to EU totaled US$1.135 billion, down 14.8 percent over 2011, making up 18.5 percent of total export turnover. In which, shrimp exports decreased sharply to US$311.7 million (down 24.5 percent); pangasius exports with US$425.8 million (-19.1 percent); cephalopod exports with US$99.6 million (-19.4 percent); Tuna exports to EU posted a positive result of US$113.8 million (+43 percent).

In 2012, Japan purchased US$1.09 billion of seafood originated from Vietnam. The figure was up 9.3 percent compared to that of 2011. Japan were the largest importer of Vietnam shrimp; however, in 2012, shrimp exports to the market saw a down trend as the country inspected Ethoxyquin residue on all shrimp products from Vietnam.

Vietnam seafood exports to South Korea in 2012 reached US$508 million, increasing 6.5 percent over 2011, making up 8.3 percent of total seafood exports. South Korea is considered as a potential market of Vietnam seafood and the fifth largest market of Vietnam shrimp with theproportion of 8.8 percent.

Shrimp made up the highest proportion of total seafood export value with the value of US$2.23 billion, down 6.6 percent from that of 2011. In which whiteleg shrimp exports reached US$741 million, occupying 33 percent; exports of black tiger shrimp reached US$1.25 billion, occupying 56 percent. In 2012, Vietnam shrimp was sent to 93 markets, two markets more than that of 2011.

Pangasius was shipped to 141 destinations in which EU was the largest consumer. Exports of the fish to EU posted the highest reduction (-19 percent), pulling pangasius exports to the block in 2012 down to US$1.74 billion. Pangasius exports to the U.S. were up 8.2 percent. Shipment to other markets retained upbeat growth in which exports to China showed the sharpest advance of 31.5 percent.

Barriers to Vietnam seafood export in 2012

- Shortage of capital for fish farming and processing: in the last year, fish farmers and processors hard to access to loans so many of them fall in difficulties in production.

- Instable supply of raw material: Shrimp output reduced due to epidemic, early mortality syndrome (EMS). The supply of raw material for processing was curtailed. Farmers and packers faced lack of capital, skyrocketing input costs, instable price of raw material and many of them have left their farming ponds idle.

- Low demand from importers: Seafood demand from main markets such as EU, the U.S., Japan dropped because of economic turmoil. Consumers tended to shift to cheaper fish. Vietnam seafood suffered from high pressure from other competitors.

- Unfair competition: Coalition of Gulf Shrimp Industries (COGSI) has recently filed a petition asking Ministry of Commerce to impose countervailing duty on warm water shrimp imported from Vietnam and six other countries. Shrimp export to the U.S is expected to be sharply impacted due to the duties.