Pangasius producer Vinh Hoan has paid a visit to one of China’s largest seafood companies to collaborate on “formal pangasius trade”. It comes amid Chinese concerns about low quality pangasius entering the country via the unofficial ‘grey trade’ route.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2016, Germany is still the fourth largest importing market of Vietnamese pangasius in Europe after (Netherlands, UK and Spain). However, in the year, pangasius exports to the market continuously decreased in value from 1.1 to 34.8% over the same period last year. Up to the first half of February 2017, the value of pangasius exports to Germany reached US$3.19 million, down 25.8% over the same period in 2016.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In the early 2017, exports of pangasius from Vietnam to Brazil was quite good over the same period last year. Export value In Jan 2017 reached US$12.1 million, up 17.2% compared with the same month of 2016. If this growth continues in the coming months, Brazil will replace ASEAN as the fourth largest importer of Vietnamese pangasius (after the US, EU and China – Hongkong).

The "Establishing a Sustainable Pangasius Supply Chain in Việt Nam" project (SUPA) has brought significant improvement to the pangasius supply chain, resolving environmental concerns, improving efficiency and ensuring consistent quality, a meeting heard in HCM City on Wednesday.

Pangasius fish price now reaches VND27,000 a kilogram, the highest peak for the last recent years in the Mekong Delta.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On March 29th, 2017, in Ho Chi Minh city, the Vietnam Cleaner Production Centre (VNCPC), Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Vietnam and WWF-Austria) organized the Closing Ceremony of the Project "Establishing a Sustainable Pangasius Supply Chain in Vietnam"(SUPA).

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Jan 2017, Vietnam’s exports of pangasius to Brazil were quite good over the same period last year with the export value of US$12.1 million, up 17.2% compared with Jan 2016. If the growth continues in the coming months, Brazil will replace ASEAN as the fourth largest importing market of Vietnam pangasius (after the US, the EU and China – Hongkong).

China has become an increasingly lucrative market for Vietnam’s pangasius but Vietnamese enterprises face risks in this market.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Mass media reports suggest that pangasius (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) is ‘full of poison’ because it is able to survive in the ‘heavily polluted Mekong River’ and contains pesticides and veterinary treatment chemicals. However, most of these claims are not substantiated with scientific evidence. To assess the safety of pangasius consumption, a full toxicological risk assessment was performed. The results obtained were compared to toxicity claims made in a selection of media reports. Information on contaminant levels encountered in pangasius was collected from the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) database. The toxicological risk assessments do not support any of the toxicological risks suggested in the media.

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In Jan 2017, pangasius exports reached US$120.05 million, decreased 19.6% compared with that of Jan 2016. Two major markets like the US and the EU accounting for 32% of total pangasius value of Vietnam also reduced importing pangasius in Jan.