11:17:51 AM | 3/10/2008
Vietnam exported US$450 million worth of seafood in September 2008, raising the total seafood export revenue in the first nine months to US$3.32 billion, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).
The figure showed a rise of 21.9 per cent over the same period of last year, the office said.
In the first nine months, frozen shrimp remained the industry’s biggest earner at US$1.16 billion, up 7 per cent on year, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).
But despite topping the list, the proportion of shrimp in the country’s total seafood exports dropped 4.7 per cent to 34 per cent over the same period last year due to fierce competition from Thai and Indian white-leg shrimp.
Meanwhile, tra and basa catfish maintained a high growth rate of 5.7 per cent as raking in US$1.1 billion in Jan-Sept, accounting for 32.3 per cent
According to the GSO, Vietnam’s total aquatic product output hit more than 3.4 million tons in Jan-Sept, up 10.3 per cent on year, including 1.828 million tons from aquaculture farms, up 20.9 per cent; and 1.58 million tons from fishing vessels, up 0.1 per cent.
The high growth of aquaculture output was mostly attributed by the expansion of tra and basa catfish area that increased by 20.6 per cent to 1,400 hectares in An Giang; up 22.1 per cent to 1,200 hectares in Can Tho; up 13.2 per cent to 450 hectares in Vinh Long, and up by 5 times to 360 hectares in Ben Tre.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development expected the seafood exports will bring in US$4.2-US$4.3 billion by the year’s end. (GSO Sept Edition)
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