Pangasius exports to potential markets skyrocket over five months

Vietnamese pangasius exports to a number of potential markets, including Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Thailand, and Russia, have all enjoyed robust growth during the opening five months of the year, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

May alone saw local pangasius exports to Russia, Colombia, and Mexico increase sharply by 458%, 230%, and 167%, to US$4 million, US$1.9 million, and US$6.42 million, respectively.

VASEP’s data show Vietnamese pangasius exports to Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Colombia, and Russia all witnessed surges of 61.7%, 65.5%, 18.7%, 65.7%, and 124.5% to US$30.3 million, US$27.2 million, US$25.6 million, US$17.9 million, and US$ 16.9 million, respectively, over the reviewed period.

Most notably, China remains the leading consumer of Vietnamese pangasius, importing the fish worth US$165.5 million over five months, representing an annual rise of 2.1% and making up nearly 26% of all Vietnamese pangasius exports.

Meanwhile, exports to the US also enjoyed a strong rise of 55.3% to US$134.2 million during the reviewed period, with high export turnover being recorded in both April and May.

In general, the country raked in US$637.8 million from exporting pangasius, an increase of 14.7% against the same period from last year, with turnover reaching US$148.4 million in May alone, up 39.3%.

At present, the price of raw pangasius in the Mekong Delta region over recent months has seen a slight increase of between VND21,500 and VND22,000 per kilo, showing positive signs for the industry after facing a long period of decline.