Dried seafood exports to increase this year

Dried seafood exports should continue to increase this year as exporters have been receiving more and more high-value contracts, according to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

Last year, Viet Nam exported a total of 43,000 tonnes of dried seafood products worth US$160 million, up 31.2 per cent in volume and 9.9 per cent in value compared to 2008, according to the General Department of Customs.

Exports to several traditional markets, including ASEAN, South Korea, mainland China, Japan, the US and Taiwan, had grown dramatically since last year, said the department.

Last year, South Korea imported 12,000 tonnes of dried seafood products worth a total of $60 million from Viet Nam, surpassing the ASEAN market and becoming the largest importer.

VASEP estimated that exports to Russia and Ukraine would increase significantly this year as exports there grew sharply at the end of last year.

Exports to Ukraine in December last year alone increased by 251 per cent in volume and 206 per cent in value compared to December 2008.

In the first quarter of the year, Viet Nam exported 6,258 tonnes of dried seafood products worth $24.2 million, according to the General Department of Viet Nam Customs.

Overseas Vietnamese in the US Nguyen Truong Thinh, who trades in dried anchovies in the US, said the quality of printing on dried seafood packages was poor compared to other exporters in Southeast Asia.

Vietnamese dried seafood exporters should be more aware of the importance of marketing their products and developing a long-term strategy for investing in new markets, Thinh told Thoi Bao Kinh Te Viet Nam (Vietnam Economic Times).

VIETNAMNEWS

Tags: Vietnam dried seafood, Vietnam Seafood, Vietnam seafood exports