German market is "sensitive" to the price. Thus, demand for shrimp imports into the market plunged mainly due to EU’s economic recession and EUR’s sharp devaluation against USD.
This is also a part of reason why the proportion of whiteleg shrimp out of Vietnam’s total shrimp exports to Germany dominated black tiger shrimp.
In 2011, Vietnam’s whiteleg shrimp exports to Germany hit US$40.4 million, representing the proportion of 35.7% while black tiger shrimp sales were US$63.7 million, taking 56.3%. In 2012, the proportion of whiteleg shrimp increased to 46.6% while that of black tiger shrimp reduced to 45.5%. In 2013, whiteleg shrimp accounted for 53.4% while black tiger shrimp occupied 40%.
In 2014, whiteleg shrimp sales to Germany made up 58% while black tiger shrimp sales took 34.7%. In Jan-Sep 2015, the proportion of whiteleg shrimp was 73.5% while that of black tiger shrimp was 19.9%. This trend showed that whiteleg shrimp is increasingly favoured in Germany.
Between 2011-2014, Germany held the top position in EU bloc in terms of importing shrimp from Vietnam. In 2014, Vietnam shrimp exports to the market made up 20.5% of Vietnam’s total shrimp exports to EU.
The statistics from the International Trade Center (ITC) stated that in 2014, Vietnam was the largest shrimp supplier to German market, accounting for 18.4% of total shrimp imports into Germany. Frozen raw shrimp is the main product imported into Germany, accounting for 56.4% of total shrimp imports into Germany in the first 6 months of this year. In which Vietnam took the lead in supplying the product to Germany. In Jan-Jun 2015, import value of raw frozen shrimp from Vietnam to Germany reached US$27.6 million, representing 19.6% of total imports of the product into Germany; 1.7 times higher than import value from India, 10 times higher than from Indonesia and 12.4 times higher from Thailand.
In Jan-Jun 2015, total shrimp imports into Germany reached US$252.8 million, down 18.2% year on year. In the period, shrimp imports from Vietnam into the market still increased by 12.5% while imports from India downed 8.1%, imports from Thailand downed 64.7% and from Indonesia downed 19.8%.
In 2014, the average seafood consumption per capita in Germany was 14 kg/year, up 0.2% compared to 2013. It is expected that the consumption will be stable in 2015. In 2015, seafood companies in Germany plan to boost promotions to strengthen seafood consumption and ensure that seafood is put into daily spending list of German consumers.
German economy remains a positive outlook with expected growth of 1.8% this year. The economic growth in 2016 is forecast to reach 2.1% and 2.3% in 2017. Once the economy recovered, EUR increased, demand for seafood imports including shrimp into Germany will inch up. This is a good sign for Vietnam shrimp exporters to the market in the coming time.
|
Top largest suppliers to Germany, Jan-Jun 2015 (Source: ITC) |
|||
|
Supply |
Jan-Jun 2014 |
Jan-Jun 2015 |
Variations (%) |
|
The world |
309,072 |
252,831 |
-18.2 |
|
The Netherlands |
67,228 |
69,747 |
3.7 |
|
Vietnam |
42,814 |
48,159 |
12.5 |
|
Bangladesh |
21,356 |
17,930 |
-16.0 |
|
Denmark |
25,391 |
14,167 |
-44.2 |
|
Honduras |
3,781 |
4,809 |
27.2 |
|
India |
18,322 |
16,830 |
-8.1 |
|
Thailand |
30,780 |
10,854 |
-64.7 |
|
The UK |
26,847 |
16,519 |
-38.5 |
|
France |
12,127 |
11,502 |
-5.2 |
|
Belgium |
26,666 |
15,384 |
-42.3 |
(vasep.com.vn) In the first quarter of 2026, Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached USD 1.069 billion, up 17.5% compared to the same period in 2025. This is a positive result amid an uneven global shrimp market recovery, intensifying competition among major suppliers, and continued volatility in the international trade environment. However, this growth does not reflect a broad-based recovery across the entire sector, but rather is driven mainly by strong performance in a few markets and specific product segments—most notably lobster exports to China.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tuna exports continued to decline in March 2026. Cumulatively, in the first three months of the year, export value reached USD 208 million, down 4% compared to the same period in 2025. The export landscape shows clear divergence across markets: while the U.S. and EU remain challenging, markets such as Russia, the Middle East, Egypt, the Philippines, and Mexico have emerged as growth bright spots.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Quang Ngai Province, shrimp farming costs are rising sharply due to लगातार increases in feed, fuel, and input material prices, while farm-gate shrimp prices are declining. This has significantly reduced farmers’ profit margins and increased production risks.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s tilapia exports are experiencing impressive growth, reflecting expanding global demand as well as the sector’s development potential. However, behind the strong growth figures lie limitations in production capacity and supply chains, highlighting the need for sustainable development in the coming period.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East in 2025 and early 2026 have shown notable growth. However, escalating geopolitical tensions in the region have increasingly impacted export activities since March. This situation presents a challenge of balancing market expansion opportunities with rising trade risks.
(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.
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