Vietnamese pangasius fillets.

The Middle East, a market with great growth potential for Vietnamese pangasius

VIET NAM
Monday, January 21, 2019, 23:00 (GMT + 9)

Pangasius exports to the Middle East generated a total of USD 130.8 million in the first ten months of 2018, according to statistics from the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

Pangasius processing plant.

In 2017, the Middle East was the fifth largest panga export market, behind China, Hong Kong, America, EU, ASEAN, with a total export value of USD 290.4 million, VASEP reported.

Within this region, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Saudi Arabia were the three largest export markets of Vietnamese pangasius in the last three years within this region, with much more potential expected in the future.

By the end of October 2018, pangasius exports to the UAE market reached 44.56 million USD, a figure that represents an interannual increase of 135 percent.

Pangasius export to Egypt reached USD 30.9 million until October last year, an increase of 26.4 percent over the same period in 2017, and it is estimated pangasius export to this market will continue to maintain an important growth rate.

Meanwhile, pangasius exports to the Saudi Arabian market continue to be "closed", due to requirements for the approval of the "Halal Breeding Program" for animal products. According to this  program, the feeding material and production facilities should have Halal Certification.

The Middle East is still considered as one of the potential markets of Vietnamese seafood. In addition, it is a place to concentrate and transfer aquatic products to other markets in North Africa and West Asia.

At the same time, that region is an important and strategic market of Vietnam,as standards and technical requirements of the market are not as strict as the US, EU or Japan markets. 

VASEP stresses that if the Saudi Arabian market is reopened in 2019, there will be more opportunities for panga export companies to increase export turnover to this area.

For its part, The Việt Nam Pangasius Association announced that this year  it will focus on improving broodstock quality and expanding export markets.

Chairman Dương Nghĩa Quốc said the association would continue to boost production, develop consumer markets, promote sustainable growth, and actively integrate into the world market.

A pangasius farm in Đồng Tháp Province.  (Photo Nguyễn Văn Trí— VNA/VNS)

The pangasius processing and export industry has made great progress in all aspects last year, as the area of cultivation, production and export earnings reached their highest figures.

Foreign sales of Vietnamese panga exceeded USD 2.1 billion last year, with the US the largest market, followed by China and the EU.

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