Vietnam exported nearly US$4 billion worth of seafood products by November 14, 2008, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) quoted from figures of the General Customs Department.
In Jan-Oct, the country exported 1.054 million tons of seafood worth US$3.828 billion, up 39.4 per cent in volume and 24.4 per cent in value, with frozen shrimps, catfish and frozen cuttle fish being three major items.
Of the total, export of frozen shrimps was 158,527 tons, accounting for 35.4 per cent, and valued at US$1.354 billion. The export showed on year rises of 22.5 per cent in volume and 10.4 per cent in value.
Meanwhile, export of tra and basa catfish accounted for 32.4 per cent in volume with 550,070 tons worth US$1.24 billion. The export of catfish reached highest rises among the items, with 74.5 per cent in volume and 53.3 per cent in value.
The country also exported 74,233 tons of cuttlefish in Jan-Oct period, raking in US$271.79 million, up 9.5 per cent in volume and 17.35 in value.
EU bloc took lead among importers in the first ten months of 2008, accounting for 25.3 per cent of Vietnam’s total seafood export revenues with nearly US$970 million, up 29.3 per cent against the same period of last year. EU was the biggest importer of Vietnamese catfish, spending US$487.51 million on the item, up 23.4 per cent on year.
Japan ranked second with total expenditure on Vietnamese seafood hitting US$693 million, accounting for 18.1 per cent, up 14.4 per cent on year. Japan was the biggest consumer of Vietnamese frozen shrimps with US$412 million in Jan-Oct, up 4.2 per cent on year.
Export to the U.S. brought in US$624 million, up 5 per cent on year and seeing the market the third biggest importer of Vietnamese seafood.
The Department also said Russia, Ukraine and Egypt continued being the big and potential importers of Vietnamese catfish with expenditures of US$169.78 million, US$129 million, and US$43.1 million, respectively, in Jan-Oct period.
Vietnam expected to raise total seafood export revenues to US$4.3 billion by the year’s end. (Vietnam Economic Times, Vasep)
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