Seafood value-added products shine at Barcelona exhibition

Deep-processed seafood products were highly favored at the exhibition

Pangasius, shrimp, tuna, carp, clams, cephalopod, other dried seafood items, value-added commodities, and processed foods are among the main products on display at the exhibition. Vietnamese enterprises are mostly showcasing value-added items at this year's event. Vietnamese businesses turn shrimp and pangasius items into a wide variety of mouthwatering dishes that they invite customers to sample at their booths. The diverse array of processed goods, skillfully combined with a range of components, enthralled guests, who expressed their admiration for them after tasting them. Deeply processed foods serve the modern consumer trend of time-pressed people who don't have much time for cooking. Additionally, these products give businesses higher profit margins. Vietnam also enjoys an edge in highly skilled workforce and processing capabilities.

The production process of value-added products applying advanced and closed-loop technology will ensure the preservation of the delicious flavor of seafood while increasing productivity with high-quality products.

"Vietnamese Seafood - Sustainable Destination" is the motto of Vietnam's seafood industry at the exhibition. It represents a green, clean seafood industry, aiming for sustainable development.

Nearly 40 Vietnamese seafood companies participated in the Global Seafood Exhibition 2024

At the exhibition, VASEP registered a space of 464m2 and set up the Vietnam national pavilion. The pavilion was divided into two areas: a private booth area with a total area of 328m2 and a shared booth area with an area of 136m2.

A total of 37 seafood processing and exporting companies participated in the Global Seafood Exhibition 2024 at the Vietnam national pavilion, including 9 shrimp processing companies, 8 catfish processing companies, 4 tuna processing companies, and 15 companies processing various seafood products.

Additionally, one company specializing in machinery and equipment for the seafood industry also participated in the exhibition. Furthermore, there were some other companies participating in the exhibition outside of the national pavilion cluster, and a few companies participated in market research, surveys, and evaluations within the framework of the trade fair.

The EU continues to be a key market for Vietnam's seafood exports

In 2023, Vietnam's seafood exports to the EU reached over $954 million, a decrease of 27% compared to 2022. Most of Vietnam's key seafood export items to the EU market saw significant declines due to the economic downturn and various global disruptions affecting Vietnam's seafood exports directly and indirectly. However, tuna exports witnessed a reversal, increasing by 6.4% to $176 million. Despite the sharp decline in seafood exports to the EU and other markets in 2023, exports to the EU still accounted for a large proportion.

It can be seen that the EU has long been one of Vietnam's traditional top markets for seafood, from the early stages until now. Therefore, maintaining Vietnam's presence at the Global Seafood Exhibition has always been a top priority.

In the first quarter of 2024, Vietnam's seafood exports to the EU reached $210 million, a 4% decrease compared to the same period, with the EU accounting for 10.8% of Vietnam's total seafood exports. Vietnam's shrimp exports to the EU reached $81 million in the first quarter of this year, a 9% decrease compared to the same period. Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium are the three largest importers of Vietnamese shrimp within the bloc.

Vietnam's pangasius exports to the EU came to $39 million in the first quarter of this year, a 13% decline. 9.4% of Vietnam's total pangasius exports went to the EU market. The top three importers of Vietnamese pangasius are the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain. With 13% of all pangasius exports to the EU, Spain comes in third place among the EU's countries when it comes to Vietnamese pangasius imports. Pangasius shipments to Spain hit $5 million in Q1 2024, a 38% increase.

Vietnam's exports of tuna and surimi to the EU in the first quarter of this year recorded increases of 29% and 31% respectively, while exports of cephalopod decreased by 36%.

Numerous activities aimed at promoting seafood trade took place at the exhibition

VASEP continued to plan promotional events inside the trade show, distributing promotional materials with an emphasis on Vietnam's main products—shrimp, tuna, and catfish, in particular. Furthermore, the association hosted and maintained cooking demos including meals created from seafood by foreign chefs at its booth in an effort to better promote Vietnamese seafood goods to a larger audience. One of the successful marketing strategies that regularly draws attendees to the trade show is this one, which VASEP has been working hard to sustain at a number of international shows in recent years.

The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Spain, Mr. Doan Thanh Song, and the Commercial Counselor, Mr. Vu Chien Thang, visited Vietnamese seafood enterprises to exchange information and understand the situation of Vietnam's seafood exports. At the booth, Ambassador Song had a conversation with Ms. Tô Thị Tường Lan - Deputy Secretary-General of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), and the participating companies to exchange information on Vietnam's seafood exports, import trends, and the challenges in the European market.

At this Global Seafood Exhibition, the Vietnam Trade Office in Spain also sent representatives to encourage and exchange information with businesses.

The 30th Global Seafood Exhibition gathered more than 1,955 exhibitors from 87 countries and territories, expecting to attract over 35,000 visitors, seafood import-export companies, and businesses, as well as experts from 150 countries worldwide. These participants come from various sectors of the seafood industry including processing, aquaculture, fishing, as well as related industries such as machinery, equipment, services, and additives. This exhibition also features 75 national pavilions.

As the largest seafood industry event in the world, the Global Seafood Exhibition has become a professional playground and a strong connecting platform for the international seafood community. The Global Seafood Exhibition 2024 in Barcelona took place over 3 days from April 23rd to 25th, 2024.