Long-term opportunities for shrimp suppliers
Recently, China announced its Food and Nutrition Development Guidelines for 2025–2030, emphasizing improved dietary quality through increased protein consumption. The new guidelines not only highlight protein’s role but also propose policies to boost fish and seafood consumption, including integrating these products into school meal programs. This shift could significantly stimulate seafood demand, including shrimp. In the long term, China is expected to increase imports of mid-priced seafood products such as pangasius and medium to small-sized shrimp.
In 2023, China imported a record 4.67 million tons of seafood and maintained a high volume of 4.5 million tons in 2024. Specifically, China is the world’s largest shrimp importer, with over 1.10 million tons in 2023 and more than 1 million tons in 2024.
Short-term plateau in warm-water shrimp consumption
However, short-term demand for frozen warm-water shrimp in China has plateaued, including imports from its two largest suppliers, Ecuador and India. According to Chinese customs data, China imported 70,067 tons of frozen warm-water shrimp valued at USD 356 million in April 2025—up 5% in volume and 6% in value compared to the same month last year. In the first four months, imports totaled 269,689 tons worth USD 1.45 billion, down 9% in volume but up 1% in value year-on-year, with average prices rising 11% to USD 5.36/kg.
Ecuador remains China’s largest supplier, accounting for 75% of China’s shrimp imports by volume, delivering 203,100 tons valued at USD 1.013 billion in the first four months—down 7% in volume but up 4% in value.
India, the second-largest supplier, saw declining shipments in April. Continuous import decreases reflect reduced demand from Chinese processors for headless shrimp, India’s main export product to China used for reprocessing and domestic sales. In the first four months, imports from India dropped 21% to 33,187 tons, the lowest volume since 2022, and well below the 2019 record.
This trend is attributed to China’s sluggish economy, rising domestic shrimp production, competition from various popular seafood items, and consumer behavior sensitive to macroeconomic pressures.
Impact of US-China trade tensions on Vietnamese shrimp in China
As the US escalates retaliatory tariffs on key Chinese goods, China faces pressure to reorient exports and boost domestic consumption. This could positively affect domestic food sectors, including protein-rich shrimp, which the Chinese government encourages.
Moreover, restricted access to the US market forces Chinese processors to focus on domestic consumption or re-export to non-US markets, increasing stable demand for raw materials with clear traceability—such as Vietnamese shrimp—offering growth opportunities.
Compared to Ecuador and India, Vietnam benefits from geographic proximity, lower shipping costs, stable trade relations, and high-quality reliability, positioning Vietnamese shrimp well to expand market share in China.
However, risks remain, including exchange rate fluctuations of the Chinese yuan, stricter import technical controls, and a potential preference for domestic products during economic hardship. China’s own large shrimp production industry may also ramp up exports to alternative markets due to US restrictions, intensifying competition against Vietnamese shrimp.
What Vietnamese shrimp exporters should do
To seize opportunities from the US-China trade dynamics and China’s new food policies, Vietnamese shrimp exporters need to:
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The 2026 brackish water shrimp farming season in the Mekong Delta has started earlier than usual, mainly driven by positive market signals, as shrimp prices in 2025 remained high and supply was limited. Many enterprises and farms in Cần Thơ, Cà Mau, and Vĩnh Long have proactively stocked early to seize opportunities. By early 2026, stocking areas in many localities had reached a high proportion of planned targets, with intensive and high-tech farming models expanding rapidly.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the United States recorded remarkable growth in 2025, opening up major opportunities while also presenting considerable challenges. The U.S. remains the largest importer of Vietnamese tilapia fillets, with export turnover reaching USD 40 million—an increase of up to 499% compared to 2024. This impressive growth reflects strong demand in the U.S. market, as supply from competing countries such as China has been constrained by tariffs and rising production costs.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Pangasius remains a strategic export commodity in Vietnam’s seafood sector. Entering 2026, the industry faces a strong need to transition from volume-based growth to a value-driven development model, with a focus on quality, food safety, and sustainability.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Following damage caused by Storm No. 13 in late 2025, brackish water shrimp farming in Gia Lai is being rapidly restored. In key farming areas such as Tuy Phước and Tuy Phước Đông, farmers are focusing on rehabilitating ponds, repairing infrastructure, and treating the environment in preparation for the 2026 crop.
(seafood.vasep.com) Facing the decline in fishery resources, Vietnam is accelerating livelihood transitions for fishermen to reduce fishing pressure and move toward sustainable development. Marine fish stocks have dropped significantly from 4.82 million tons in 2000–2005 to 3.95 million tons in 2016–2020.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp industry is entering a period of strong transformation with the emergence of various high-tech farming models, helping improve productivity and competitiveness. Over the past 5–10 years, farming practices have shifted from traditional methods to intensive and super-intensive systems, featuring lined ponds, environmental sensors, automated feeding, and data management.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) With a focus on sustainable development, high-tech application, and climate change adaptation, An Giang Province aims to maintain its brackish water shrimp production in 2026 at a level equivalent to the previous year. Specifically, output is projected to reach over 155,510 tons, serving both domestic consumption and export processing, thereby sustaining the fisheries sector’s key role in the local economic structure.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the Mekong Delta, key pangasius farming provinces such as An Giang, Dong Thap, and Can Tho are accelerating the transition toward a circular economy model, contributing to higher product value and reduced environmental impact. Instead of focusing solely on farming and processing, the pangasius value chain is increasingly utilizing by-products and waste streams to generate added value.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s scallop exports are entering a phase of impressive growth, as the global market undergoes significant restructuring. In 2025, scallop export value reached nearly USD 66 million, up 49% from USD 44 million in 2024. This upward momentum has continued and accelerated into early 2026, with exports totaling USD 18.1 million in the first two months alone—an increase of 166% year-on-year. This represents an exceptionally high growth rate, reflecting the rapid expansion of a relatively new product segment within Vietnam’s mollusk export portfolio.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) – On March 19, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held a meeting with the European Commission (EC) inspection delegation on combating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, led by Mr. Fernando Andresen Guimaraes, Head of Unit at the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE).
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
Đơn vị vận hành trang tin điện tử: Trung tâm VASEP.PRO
Trưởng Ban Biên tập: Bà Phùng Thị Kim Thu
Giấy phép hoạt động Trang thông tin điện tử tổng hợp số 138/GP-TTĐT, ngày 01/10/2013 của Bộ Thông tin và Truyền thông
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 – (ext.203); email: kimthu@vasep.com.vn
Trụ sở: Số 7 đường Nguyễn Quý Cảnh, Phường An Phú, Quận 2, Tp.Hồ Chí Minh
Tel: (+84) 28.628.10430 - Fax: (+84) 28.628.10437 - Email: vasephcm@vasep.com.vn
VPĐD: số 10, Nguyễn Công Hoan, Ngọc Khánh, Ba Đình, Hà Nội
Tel: (+84 24) 3.7715055 - Fax: (+84 24) 37715084 - Email: vasephn@vasep.com.vn
