Tra fish exports to EU down by 12.8 percent

VASEP said that by mid- August, seafood exports to the EU fetched US$667.3 million, of which tra fish dropped by 12.8 percent to US$237 million but shrimps and tuna  rose 5.3% to US$195 million and 33.8% to US$89 million respectively.

Total seafood exports to the EU in the past eight months hovered around US$720 million (down 4.6 %) despite an increase in shrimp and tuna shipments in the second quarter.

Tra fish which make up 35-40% of total seafood export earnings from the EU continued dropping in both volume and value.

As Vietnam’s largest seafood importer in the previous years, the EU comes second after the US this year.

VASEP explained that the falling price of tra fish was due to an abundant supply of gadidae fish. For example, tra fish exports in the second quarter dropped by 12.8% to US$95.6 million compared to the same period last year. The price of tra fish was somewhere between US$2.40-2.60 per kilo, down 10-20% on the previous years.

However, VASEP said, the consumption of tra fish in other markets like Portugal, the UK, and East European countries tends to increase while Holland still has a great demand for tra fish, especially from retailers.