Pangasius exports to the EU bounced back after months of stagnation

(seafood.vasep.com.vn) After two consecutive years of decline in pangasius exports to the EU, the number of Vietnamese enterprises getting away from this market has upsurged. Even before the outbreak of Covid-19 in the EU, this market did not seem promising as exports fell to negative levels for several months in a row. However, a positive outlook for trade with this market starting is ahead for 2022.

Until the first half of February 2022, the total value of pangasius exports to the EU reached 20.2 million USD, up 40.2% over the same period last year. This is the most optimistic growth after many months of stagnation or plunge. 

Currently, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Spain are the 4 largest pangasius export markets in the block of Vietnamese seafood enterprises, in which, the Netherlands is the largest market, accounting for 36.6% of the total export value to this market.

Over 10 years ago, the EU, as our traditional partner, was the largest pangasius export market of Vietnam. However, after reaching the "golden" time in the years 2016-2018, pangasius exports to the EU began to level off and gradually declined.

After being affected by Covid-19, many importers said they faced financial difficulties because the demand for white fish, including pangasius, in many markets of the region had not expanded, while logistics costs, transportation costs, etc., increased significantly. Many EU customers have actively requested to reduce the order quantity, cancel or postpone orders that have already been or are about to be signed. In addition, FOB importers face difficulties due to high sea freight costs, hence although pangasius prices in the EU are still stable, many importers are hesitant to purchase.

Due to higher demands from EU customers, while the repurchase price is not very attractive, in 2021, many enterprises which once had a competitive advantage when exporting to the EU moved to other markets such as China, Mexico, Brazil, Egypt, Colombia, and Thailand. That is also the reason why pangasius export value to the EU decreased continuously.

At the beginning of this year, pangasius export value to the EU is experiencing positive growth again, which is promising for many businesses that would like to return to this market. Although in the past few months, the export value of pangasius to many European countries has been downsized or interrupted, this is still considered a large and important market for Vietnamese enterprises.

In contrast, Vietnam's canned tuna exports to the US market are on the rise. Canned tuna products of Vietnam exports to the US market are mainly canned skipjack tuna meat of all kinds. Compared to the previous quarter, the proportion of canned tuna exports of Vietnam has been increasing, and now this product group accounts for nearly 36% of the total export value of tuna to this market. Along with canned tuna, other Vietnamese processed tuna products exports to the US market has also been increasing.

The average export price of frozen fillets/meat tuna code HS03048700 from Vietnam to the US in the first 9 months of 2020 fluctuated at US$9.3/kg. Meanwhile, the average export price of frozen steamed fillets/ meat tuna code HS16041490 fluctuated at US$7.1/kg.

Currently, since US businesses are gathering up material that was soon depleted during the COVID-19 pandemic, US food and raw materials imports also surged sharply. Along with this trend, imports of processed tuna, such as frozen steamed tuna meat - raw materials for canned tuna production, and canned tuna into the US are also increasing year on year.

According to ITC's statistics, US imports of processed and canned tuna tended to grow steadily each month in the first 8 months of 2020. In particular, processed and canned tuna, the US imported more than 170 thousand MT in the first 8 months of 2020, worth nearly 835 million USD, up 25% in volume and 13% in value over the same period in 2019. This was the highest import volume in the past 5 years.

Thailand, the largest canned tuna supplier to the US market, jumped exports to the US market in the first 8 months of 2020, up 31% year-on-year. Along with Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia are also increasing exports of canned tuna to this market, with growth rates of 9% and 20% respectively.

Although there is still growth in canned tuna exports to this market, Vietnamese tuna products are difficult to compete with similar products from Indonesia and Mexico, due to higher prices. While the prices of canned tuna products from Indonesia and Mexico tended to decrease, the prices of Vietnamese products tended to lift.

Pangasius exports to the EU bounced back after months of stagnation