Pangasius export: towering price but no longer "unique" position

Pangasius export is expected to reach 2 billion USD this year. Photo: Nguyen Thanh

Record high price

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, in the first nine months of this year, raising pangasius was very favorable due to the high price and stable consumption market. The pangasius production in the Mekong Delta in the first 9 months was estimated at 992.7 thousand tons, up 6% over the same period last year. In particular, there were some provinces with great pangasius quantity such as: Dong Thap produced 319.9 thousand tons, up 4.5%; An Giang reached 262 thousand tons, up 22.3%; Ben Tre produced 157 thousand tons, up 12.5% ...

Looking back on the first 9 months, pangasius export has overcome difficulties such as the pangasius fingerling crisis and the barriers from the import markets, but despite these difficulties, the pangasius import and production still develop well with high price of fingerlings and raw material pangasius. Specifically, right in last September, the price of raw material pangasius in the Mekong Delta tended to increase compared to the previous month. The average price was in the range of 30,000 to 32,000 VND/kg (type I, 700 - 900g/unit) in the production areas such as An Giang, Vinh Long, Dong Thap..., increased about 3,000 VND/kg compared to the previous month. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development explained that the price of raw material pangasius increased due to scarce fingerling supply. In addition, the raw fish stocks were relatively low, while the demand for raw materials, especially small size fish, for export to the US and EU market has increased.

Commenting on the production and export of pangasius, especially on the price of raw fish from the beginning of the year, Mr. Duong Nghia Quoc, Chairman of the Vietnam Pangasius Association, said: This is the record high price over the past ten years. “In the first nine months, the pangasius export turnover reached 1.6 billion USD, up 24.6% over the same period last year. In addition to strong demand from the EU and the US, the Chinese market is also boosting imports of Vietnamese pangasius. In the past, China only imported pangasius of 1kg/unit or more, recently, this market has also imported the type of 700 - 800g/unit,” Mr Quoc analyzed.

Increasing competition

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development predicted that with the current situation, the raw fish supply for export in the fourth quarter would be limited. The pangasius export price would be kept at a good level and might last until the end of 2018. Giving more specific figures, Mr. Duong Nghia Quoc stated that in the whole year, the pangasius export turnover could reach the record 2 billion USD, 200 million USD higher than in 2017.

Overcoming many difficulties, challenges, it can be confirmed that this year the pangasius export have collected a lot of "sweet". However, considering its production in the long run, when exporting this item, the most prominent point of concern is that Vietnamese pangasius can no longer maintain its "unique" status in the market as before. This is because this species is easy to raise, so recently some countries have begun to promote investment in pangasius, creating more and more competitive pressure for Vietnamese pangasius.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Dao Xuan Hieu, Deputy Director of Fisheries Market Development Department, Department of Agro-product Processing and Market Development (MARD), analyzed that although Vietnam currently has accounted for 60-70% of the pangasius export market, but some countries such as Bangladesh and India, have also started to participate in the pangasius export market.

In addition, the information from the Department of Aquaculture, Directorate of Fisheries (MARD) showed that: Although China has been one of the largest consumers of Vietnamese pangasius, the country is likely to become a potential pangasius supplier to the world. This is also a big barrier for the pangasius industry in the future. "The MARD considers pangasius to be a national product and has its own policy to develop this commodity, in which the MARD will coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to build the brand name of Pangasius in the world market,” Mr. Hieu said.

Although facing with the competitive pressure, Mr. Duong Nghia Quoc gave a somewhat optimistic outlook. That is, in comparison to other countries, Vietnam has the natural and geographic advantages to develop pangasius farming so the output growth rate is higher. However, Mr. Quoc also asserted: Vietnam pangasius industry cannot be presumptuous, but needs to increase production, management of pangasius in the chain to ensure the output, and product quality. Especially, Vietnam pangasius needs to do better in brand building in the international market.

According to the evaluation, there is a lot of work to do to sustainably develop the pangasius industry, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development – Mr. Nguyen Xuan Cuong emphasized: localities must re-plan production from breeding, feeding, farming, processing to exporting; diversify products, prioritize value added goods, diversify export markets….