(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Brazil became the largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, with export value reaching US$44 million, up 22,142% year-on-year and accounting for 49% of Vietnam’s total tilapia exports. In August alone, exports to Brazil reached US$4 million. However, behind this remarkable growth is a market that is imposing increasingly stringent requirements on imported supplies.
Brazil accounts for nearly half of Vietnam’s tilapia exports
Vietnamese tilapia exports to Brazil have increased not only in value but also in volume. According to data from the Aquaculture Information and Market Center under Embrapa Pesca e Aquicultura, in the first eight months of 2026, Brazil’s imports of tilapia fillets from Vietnam increased 3.5-fold compared with the same period in 2025.
Notably, frozen tilapia fillets under HS code 0304 accounted for nearly all of Vietnam’s tilapia export value to Brazil.
Vietnam’s supply expands rapidly as Brazil also increases production
The rapid increase in Vietnamese tilapia supplies is attracting growing attention from Brazil’s tilapia industry.
Brazil is not only an importer but also has a rapidly developing tilapia farming sector. Tilapia production reached approximately 707,495 tonnes in 2025, up 6.8%. Tilapia also accounted for around 92% of Brazil’s total farmed fish export volume in 2025.
This creates a distinctive market dynamic: Brazil still needs imports to supplement domestic supply, while at the same time it is planning to expand tilapia production and exports. Therefore, short-term import demand does not necessarily mean that barriers to foreign supplies will be eased in the near future.
Tariff and technical barriers becoming increasingly important
The rapid growth in imports from Vietnam has prompted Brazilian tilapia industry associations to propose an import quota for Vietnamese tilapia fillets equivalent to 5% of domestic fillet production. These organizations have also called for increased inspections related to tariffs, food safety, quality, glazing rates and environmental standards.
This remains an industry proposal and is not currently an effective import quota.
In addition, in 2026, a number of issues related to import controls at the state level have continued to emerge in Brazil. In some states, measures concerning TiLV, taxes/ICMS and controls on tilapia products are increasing costs and uncertainty for exporters.
Businesses need to closely monitor market developments
Brazil is currently the largest growth driver for Vietnam’s tilapia exports in 2026. However, the high concentration of exports in a single market experiencing exceptionally rapid growth also brings policy-related risks.
In the short term, as Brazil seeks both to secure domestic supply and promote tilapia production and exports, tariff and technical barriers are likely to remain in place.
Vietnamese exporters therefore need to regularly monitor Brazil’s policies at both the federal and state levels, particularly those concerning quotas, taxes/ICMS, quarantine requirements, TiLV, quality standards, glazing rates, traceability and environmental requirements.
The opportunities in Brazil remain significant. However, to maintain and develop the market, Vietnamese exporters need to move beyond an approach focused primarily on price and supply availability and adopt a more proactive strategy centered on compliance, transparent documentation and the ability to respond quickly to policy changes.