Vietnams pangasius export value slides for ninth consecutive month

Vietnam saw its pangasius export value fall once again in November, making nine straight months of decline, with sales dropping in most key markets except China.

The country exported pangasius worth nearly USD 175 million (EUR 157.9 million) in November, down 20 percent from the same month in 2018, according to a statement from Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) on 24 December.

The export value in the first 11 months was USD 1.81 billion (EUR 1.63 billion), down 11 percent year-on-year.

China (including Hong Kong) remained the biggest market for pangasius from Vietnam in the month, with sales value of USD 66.11 million (EUR 5.51 million), rising around 47 percent year-on-year and accounting for 37.8 percent of the total export value of Vietnam.

Prices for pangasius from Vietnam varied in China, ranging from USD 1.05 (EUR 0.95) per kilogram to as high as USD 8.85 (EUR 8) per kilogram, VASEP said.

Between January and November, Vietnam exported pangasius worth USD 618.5 million (EUR 558 million) to China, jumping 28 percent from the same period in 2018.

The diversity of products supplied to China has encouraged more pangasius exporters to ship their cargoes to China than any other markets this year, VASEP said.

The sales to the United States, meanwhile, declined 60.2 percent year-on-year to USD 25.6 million (EUR 23.1 million) in November. In the first 11 months, Vietnam exported pangasius worth USD 258.5 million (EUR 233.2 million) to the U.S., 47.7 percent lower year-on-year.

Exports to the European Union also decreased 36 percent year-on-year to USD 13.2 million (EUR 11.9 million) in the month. Sales to E.U. dropped slightly, 0.1 percent, year-on-year to USD 217.6 million (EUR 196.3 million) between January and November.

Vietnam also saw a downtrend in the export value of pangasius to countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with sales value of USD 180.9 million (EUR 163.2 million) in the first 11 months, down 1.4 percent year-on-year. In the third quarter, sales to some major markets in the group, including Thailand, went down. Exports to Malaysia and the Philippines, however, were stable in the last months of 2019, VASEP said.