Vietnam surimi exports to Korea rose slightly

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2018, the exports of Vietnamese fish paste and surimi products to the Korean market grew continuously, reaching US$108.6 million, up 32.2%. In the first four months of this year, export of fish paste and surimi to this market increased 1.7% to US$27.7 million. From the No. 1 position in importing fish paste and surimi from Vietnam, Korea ceded the top position to ASEAN and was the second largest surimi importer of Vietnam, accounting for 26% of total surimi export value of Vietnam to markets.

Vietnam mainly exports ITOYORI surimi fish paste (HS 03049900) and frozen fish paste made from marine fish into South Korea with an average prices from US$1.2 to US$3.1 /kg.

Vietnam was still the largest supplier of fish paste and surimi to the Korean market, accounting for 44% of total surimi import value into Korea. In general, Vietnam's surimi products exported to this market are still in good competitiveness.

In South Korea, the average CIF price of Korean imports of Alaskan pollock surimi in April was US$3.36/kg, up 1 percent from March and 8 percent from April 2018. The average price of the other surimi, of Asian origin, was US$1.91/kg, 2 percent more than in March and 9 percent more than in April of the previous year.

As of April in 2019, Korea's imports surimi totaled 41,524 tonnes, down 7 percent in volume on those of of the same period in 2018.