The right economic policies have been helping Colombia in developing its economy sustainably, while many other countries are struggling with global economic crisis impacts.
Currently, Colombia’s per-capita fish consumption is 6 kilogram/year. Colombian consumers are becoming more interested in seafood products from Vietnam, particularly pangasius, creating huge opportunities for Vietnamese exporters to enter this market. According to Vietnam Customs, through 15th May, 2013, pangasius exports to Colombia reached US$18.4 million.
Over the recent years, Colombia’s fish aquaculture has remained with annual growth of 6.7 percent but the production was still at a low level to cover the demand. Colombia Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that fish harvest represented 84 percent of national fish farming; the remainder was shrimp.
In 2011, Colombia produced 61,500 MT of fish species, including 48,000 MT of tilapia (78 percent), 3,000 MT of freshwater farmed salmon… Huila, Valle del Cauca, Tolima and Meta were centers of tilapia farming. Freshwater farmed salmon were mainly breeded in Antioquia, Cauca, Boyaca, Cundinamarca and Narino. Currently, Colombia’s main export item is frozen fish (HS0303) with a total export volume of 41,069 MT and a value of US$79.09 million in 2012.
In 2012, the country imported US$156.758 million of fish products (HS03), up 29.1 percent on that of 2011. In which, Vietnam was the largest supplier with US$47.523 million of import value, accounting for 30 percent. Vietnam is also the leading exporter of frozen fish fillets to Colombia with 16,545 MT and a value of US$37.988 million in 2012.
In 2012 Colombia purchased mostly frozen fish products (HS0303), imports value totaled USS$66.259 million, up 46.4 percent over the previous year. Frozen fillets (HS0304) ranked second with US$65.066 million, up 18.55 percent from 2011; of which frozen pangasius fillets were 8,461 MT.
So far, international investors are turning their attention to Colombia rather than to Brazil, Mexico and Chile like they did in the past years. With a young population and a rapid and high growth, Colombia is becoming a “new economic tiger” of Latin America with an expected steady growth in the coming years. Therefore, there is a great opportunity, for Vietnamese seafood products and for pangasius, to develop in this market in the future.
|
Top 10 fish suppliers to Colombia, US$ mil. Source: ITC |
||||||
|
No. |
Origin |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
|
1 |
Vietnam |
6.918 |
10.703 |
22.493 |
40.328 |
47.523 |
|
2 |
Chile |
12.881 |
15.163 |
15.406 |
19.525 |
20.860 |
|
3 |
Ecuador |
12.965 |
13.880 |
13.604 |
14.528 |
19.104 |
|
4 |
Senegal |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1.345 |
11.321 |
|
5 |
South Africa |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3.348 |
10.285 |
|
6 |
China |
2.931 |
1.975 |
4.942 |
7.190 |
10.267 |
|
7 |
Argentina |
8.728 |
8.995 |
10.363 |
9.416 |
8.401 |
|
8 |
Uruguay |
1.915 |
1.976 |
1.442 |
3.157 |
4.628 |
|
9 |
Trinidad & Tobago |
3.482 |
13.272 |
11.590 |
9.361 |
3.301 |
|
10 |
Namibia |
0 |
0.778 |
0.471 |
0.885 |
2.899 |
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The Quang Tri Department of Agriculture and Environment has instructed localities to base their stocking schedules on actual conditions in each farming area, while developing plans, allocating resources, and implementing synchronized measures for disease prevention and disaster risk management in aquaculture production.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the first two months of 2026, Vietnam’s exports of fish cakes and surimi exceeded USD 45 million, up 7% compared to the same period in 2025, indicating a positive outlook for this product segment amid recovering demand in many markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) During the week from April 4th to 10th, 2026, Quang Ngai province intensified its monitoring and law enforcement activities with the determination to eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing practices.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Thanh Hoa’s shrimp sector is undergoing a strong transformation by accelerating the adoption of high technology, helping to improve productivity, increase profits, and meet market demands. The province currently has about 4,100 hectares of shrimp farming, with output continuing to rise despite stable farming area, mainly due to the shift from traditional methods to intensive and super-intensive farming.
(vasep.com.vn) Amid ongoing volatility in global seafood trade, Vietnam’s crab exports have made a fairly positive start to 2026. According to Vietnam Customs statistics, export turnover in the first two months of 2026 reached nearly USD 55 million, up 24% compared to the same period in 2025 and more than 2.2 times higher than in the same period of 2024. This indicates that crab exports are entering 2026 with stronger growth momentum, particularly in Asian markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Da Nang City has fully implemented all recommendations from the European Commission (EC) regarding the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, creating an important foundation for the removal of the “yellow card” in the near future.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Hoa Vang district (Da Nang City), red tilapia farming is demonstrating clear economic efficiency, becoming a promising livelihood that helps many households increase their income. A notable example is the model of Mr. Huynh Ngoc Nam, who operates two red tilapia ponds covering more than 4 hectares, generating stable annual income.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Gia Vien district, tilapia farming—particularly the “duong nghiep” strain—is expanding rapidly and gradually becoming an efficient production model for local farmers. Hatcheries in the area are supplying high-quality, uniform, and disease-free fingerlings, meeting the growing demand for commercial farming.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the afternoon of March 19, Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee, Le Van Su, chaired a meeting to address bottlenecks and propose solutions to expand the super-intensive whiteleg shrimp farming model using low water exchange and high biosecurity standards (RAS-IMTA).
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On March 10, 2026, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee issued Decision No. 1377/QD-UBND approving the Aquatic Animal Disease Prevention and Control Plan for the 2026–2030 period. The decision takes effect from the date of signing and replaces previous plans for the 2021–2030 period that had been issued prior to the administrative merger in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Binh Duong, and Ho Chi Minh City.
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