March 15, 2017

Vietnam aquaculture production rises 1.2% in first 2 months

The price of raw pangasius in February 2017 rose slightly. The harvest production of pangasius in January-February settled at 179,700 tonnes, down 1.2% year-on-year.

VASEP said brackish-water shrimp farming activities in January-February was better than in the same period last year, as the harvest production of shrimp during the two-month period was 43,700 tonnes on a farming area of 448,000 hectares.

In the Mekong Delta, the farming area of black tiger shrimp in the first two months reached 426,200 ha, up 3% year-on-year, with production reaching 27,600 tonnes (+23.2%).

The area for whiteleg shrimp was 12,500 ha (up 22.4%), and produced 11,800 tonnes (up 24%).

Shrimp exports

Last year Vietnamese shrimp exports reached US$3.15 billion in value, up 6.7% from 2015, out of which whiteleg shrimp accounted for 62.1% of the total, black tiger shrimp 29.5% and marine shrimp 8.3%.

Vietnamese shrimp were exported to 93 markets last year, compared with 95 in 2015.

The recovery in shrimp sales in 2016 was attributed to upward trend in global shrimp price, higher demand from importing markets, rise in the output of shrimp, and more stability in currencies in the world.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc wants Vietnam's shrimp sector to aim for an export value of $10 billion in eight years' time, or by 2025.