Vietnam's Jan-Oct pangasius exports to the US up 71 percent

The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) said that the country's export of pangasius to the US market went up by 71 percent to US$117 million in the first ten months of 2009 amid troubled global economy.

The association said the US is a key importer of Vietnamese pangasius with consecutive rises in both value and volume.

In October this year, the US purchased 4,660 tonnes of Vietnamese pangasius worth US$15.56 million, up 2.5 times against the same month of 2008, with prices rising to US$3.25/kg from US$3.15/kg from last year.

The VASEP advised Vietnamese exporters to keep improving fish quality due to US' stringent requirements on food safety and hygiene.

Meanwhile, pangasius export to EU bloc brought in US$454 million, down nearly 7 percent from Jan-October 2008.

Between January and October, Vietnam exported nearly 500,000 tonnes valued at US$1.12 billion, down 10.3 percent from a year earlier.

The country is expected to earn US$1.3 billion from pangasius export in 2009, down from US$1.453 billion last year.