Vietnamese pangasius exports in the first half of 2016 reached US$790.2 million, up 5.4% year-on-year. Exports to the US, China-Hong Kong and Brazil reported year-on-year growths, but exports to the EU, Asean, Mexico, Colombia and Saudi Arabia saw declines.

 

 

In the second quarter, Vietnamese pangasius exports to the US hit $106.5 million, up 31.4% from the previous quarter. Until June 2016, sales to the market reached $187.1 million, up 17.7% year-on-year. The high antidumping duty imposed by the US reduced the number of Vietnam's pangasius suppliers to the US.

 

According to the US National Marine Fisheries Service, the US imported 1.1 million tonnes of seafood products in the five months through May, up 3.2% year-on-year, but the import value was down 0.73% to $7.7 billion. During this period, the US recorded an increase in the volume of imported pangasius and a decrease in the volume of tilapia.

 

US importers tended to import more tilapia from Brazil and import less tilapia from China. Tilapia imports into the US from China (the largest supplier of frozen tilapia fillet) were down 16.1% in volume and 27.6% in value.

 

 

Vietnamese pangasius exports to the European Union during the second quarter hit $69.4 million, down 6.6% year-on-year. Through June 2016, sales to the market touched $133 million, down 6.7% year-on-year. Within the EU bloc, pangasius exports to Spain and Germany saw growths of 17.9% and 4.4%, respectively, but exports to the Netherlands decreased 13% and the UK 22.5% year-on-year.

 

According to Eurostat, the first-quarter import value of some white fish into the EU continued to rise: frozen cod fillet was up 1.79%; chilled fresh cod up 6%; frozen Alaska pollock fillet up 4.9%, while import value of catfish (HS 030462) and pangasius was down 11% year-on-year.

   

 

In the second quarter, Vietnamese pangasius exports to China – Hong Kong reached $72.5 million, up 80.6% from the first quarter. In January-June, sales to the market reached $117 million, up 66.7% year-on-year.

 

Sales to some major markets (the US, EU, Asean, Mexico) slowed down, so Vietnamese pangasius exporters shifted to China. In the first half, sales to China reported a two-digit growth.

 

The value of pangasius export value to Asean in the second quarter totalled $34.5 million, down 3.3% from the previous quarter. In the first half, exports to Asean reached $67.9 million, down 1.9% from the same period last year. Among the three biggest single markets of the bloc, exports to Thailand increased by 1.8%, while exports to Singapore and the Philippines fell by 1.4% and 2%, respectively, compared with the same period last year. 

 

Pangasius exports to Brazil in the second quarter reached $16.1 million, down 29.8% from the previous quarter. In the first half, exports to this market hit $36.9 million, up 41.1% compared with the same period in 2015.