Pangasius production at Nam Viet Seafood Company. Photo provided by the company

ASEAN market is recovering

According to Ms. Ta Ha, pangasius market expert of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), by the end of October 2021, the total value of pangasius exports to the ASEAN market reached US$ 94.2 million, down about 17% over the same period last year. When the Covid-19 pandemic broke out from the end of 2019 until now, pangasius exports to some potential markets in the region had not yet recovered.

In the first 10 months of this year, the export value of pangasius to the largest market in the ASEAN region, Thailand, still decreased by 6.42% over the same period last year, reaching US$ 43.6 million (accounting for 46.2% of the value of of the whole bloc), followed by Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Before the pandemic, Singapore and Malaysia were two emerging and attractive markets that attracted many Vietnamese pangasius exporters when the demand for imports and consumption was stable and growing strongly.

However, due to the impact of the pandemic in the early stages of 2020, these two countries were severely affected by Covid-19, making trade activities difficult. However, recently, with efforts to transition from "zero Covid" to “living with Covid”, these countries are also cautiously reopening their economies in the context that the whole world is worried about the Omicron variant. Economists optimistically forecast that, from the beginning of 2022, Singapore is the country with the fastest recovery and stability in the region and a good opportunity for enterprises to promote exports to this market.

By the end of October 2021, the export value of pangasius to Singapore reached US$ 20.6 million, down 29.4%; Exports to Malaysia reached US$ 15.2 million, down 41.7% over the same period last year.

While some major pangasius importing countries decreased volume in the region, the Philippines and Indonesia are two notable markets this year. In the first 10 months of this year, pangasius exports to the Philippines increased by 33.3%, reaching US$ 14 million; pangasius exports to Indonesia are also growing rapidly.

Both production and controlling pandemic

By the end of October 2021, the total export value of Vietnamese pangasius reached US$ 1.21 billion, equivalent to the same period last year. In which, processed pangasius products for export decreased by more than 50%. In October 2021 alone, the export value of pangasius only reached US$ 136.7 million, down 19.7% over the same period in 2020.

In which, many potential markets still fell deeply. For example, pangasius exports to China - Hong Kong market decreased by 27.6%, reaching only US$310.2 million in 10 months. In October alone, the export value of pangasius to this market decreased sharply by nearly 61%, reaching US$ 31.35 million, lower than the value of pangasius exports to the US by more than US$ 10 million.

Despite the decrease in import value compared to the same period last year, until now, China - Hong Kong is still the leading export market of many Vietnamese pangasius enterprises.

With the current strict control of China for imported food and seafood, it is certain that from now to the end of the year, China's imports of white fish, including pangasius, will decrease by two numbers compared to last year.

In this year's picture of pangasius exports, the US is the brightest part. In October alone, the export value of pangasius to the US market nearly doubled compared to the previous month.

In October 2021, the export value of Vietnamese pangasius to the US market reached nearly US$ 42 million, the highest level in the top 10 largest pangasius export markets, nearly doubled compared to the previous month. By the end of October 2021, the total value of pangasius exports to this market reached US$ 289.6 million, up 47.2% over the same period last year.

According to Ms. Ta Ha, if the growth rate of pangasius exports to the US market in the fourth quarter was maintained, it was likely that the US would return to its position as the largest pangasius export market of Vietnamese enterprises in this year.

Up to now, pangasius exporters in the Mekong Delta are still facing the Covid-19 pandemic. This makes all factories focus on disease prevention and production stabilization. High production costs, increased transportation costs force export prices to adjust. Therefore, in order to increase exports, enterprises should actively control the epidemic to continue to enhance exports to neighboring markets, where demand is recovering.