HANOI: Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) estimates that Vietnam’s pangasius (tra catfish) exports may drop by 5 per cent year on year in 2016.
Last year, the total value of pangasius exports reached USD1.6 billion, which was 10 per cent lower than the value in 2014, according to VASEP’s statistics. Six out of the eight largest export markets for Vietnamese pangasius saw reductions in the value of exports in 2015 against the previous year.
Vietnamese pangasius sales dropped by 5.6 per cent to the US, 14.3 per cent to the European Union (EU). Exports were also reduced by 4.3 per cent to Asean, 39.8 per cent to Brazil, 13.9 per cent to Colombia and 13.2 per cent to Mexico.
Meanwhile, the value of pangasius exports rose by 17 per cent to the UK, 42 per cent to mainland China and Hong Kong, and 2.4 per cent to Saudi Arabia, Vietnam News reported.
The anti-dumping duties imposed by US and new rules requesting domestic and foreign suppliers to meet the same standards are some of the problems that most concern the industry. In this sense, VASEP notes that recent preliminary results of the anti-dumping duty administrative review (POR-11) on Vietnamese pangasius fillets have greatly impacted on export activities.
Chairman of the VASEP Ngo Van Ich said the two mandatory reviewed exporters – Hung Vuong and Thuan An companies – will have to pay tariff of 0.36 USD per kilo and 0.84 USD per kilo, respectively, while 16 other exporters will be taxed 0.6 USD per kilo. At this tax rate, most companies will be unable to export to the US, the leader pointed out.
In addition, he said the Government, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Ministry of Industry and Trade should have policies on advertising pangasius products at home and in foreign markets to promote consumption of those products. Pangasius consumption in the domestic market has accounted for only 5 per cent of the total consumer volume of tra catfish.
