April 30, 2024

Vietnam's tra fish exports to UAE rose by 67% in Q1 

Vietnam's tra fish exports to the United Arab Emirates reached more than US$7 million in the first quarter of 2024, a rise of 67% compared with the same period in 2023, statistics from the General Department of Customs showed.

Tra fish export to the UAE increased significantly in January by 2.5 times to reach US$4 million before a slowdown of 31% in February. In March, Vietnam exported tra fish to the country at a value of more than US$2 million.

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said the UAE mainly imported frozen fillets from Vietnam, accounting for around 93% of Vietnam's tra fish export to the UAE.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the UAE consumes around 220,000 tonnes of seafood products each year with a per capita consumption volume of 28.6 kilos, higher than the global average.

VASEP said that there is more room to expand tra fish export to the UAE, given the country's rising income and rapid urbanisation. The UAE Central Bank has lifted its forecast for the UAE economic growth rate to 5.7% from 4.3%.

Each year, Vietnam exports about 22,000-24,000 tonnes of seafood products to the UAE, worth around US$50-70 million.

Frozen tra fish fillet is the most popular export product of Vietnam to the UAE.

Vietnam's tra fish export was estimated at US$1.8 billion in 2023 and expected to reach US$2 billion this year.

- VNA