Tra fish exports to China thriving

Agriculture exports reach $15b in 2016

Vinh Hoan Corporation workers feed catfish at My Xuong Farm in the Mekong Delta province of Đong Thap. (Photo: Vinh Hoan Corporation)

China is one of the three largest importers of Vietnamese tra fish, along with the US and EU, according to Vo Hung Dung, Deputy Chairman and General Secretary of the Vietnam Pangasius Association.

Exports of tra fish to Brazil have also surged, increasing 118.3 percent to 32.8 million USD in the first five months of the year.

Total exports of tra fish reached 650.3 million in the same period, a rise of 5.5 percent over the corresponding period last year, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

The US remains the top importer of tra fish from Vietnam with 152 million USD, accounting for 23.4 percent of total exports, a rise of 12.9 percent over the same period.

In the EU, Vietnamese exports of tra fish continued to fall in the first five months.

As of the end of May, exports to the EU reached 109.3 million USD, a fall of 8.1 percent compared to the same period last year.

The four largest EU importers of tra fish from Vietnam are the UK, the Netherlands, Spain and Germany. 

Vietnam’s tra fish exports are expected to reach 1.5 billion USD by the end of the year, a drop of 5 percent from last year.

The US anti-dumping tax, catfish inspection programme and competition with white-flesh fish have all caused a decline in catfish exports, according to VASEP.

Vietnam’s tra fish products are sold in more than 100 countries and territories.-VNA