April 23, 2008

Vietnam's seafood sales to China up by 30 percent

Vietnam's seafood shipments to China via Mong Cai border in the first week of April will rebound by 30 percent from last year, the Vietnam Trade Information Center reported said.

By the end of 2008, China's demand for Vietnamese seafood is expected to rise further by 40 percent.

In the first months of the year, Vietnam exported only 3,520 tonnes of seafood to China and Hong Kong, obtaining US$11,281, down 12.2 percent in volume and 12.7 percent in value against January 2007 figures.

Frozen shrimp, fish, and cuttle-fish and other kinds of processed seafood will be the top most wanted products, the center said.

Vietnamese seafood has been shipped to 12 provinces and cities in China.

This year, China is projected to buy 2.4 million tons of seafood.

Vietnam exported 45,805 tonnes of seafood to China and Hong Kong in 2007, valued at US$152.71 million, down 5.5 percent on-year in volume but up 4.9 percent in value.