Processing Tra fish for export (Photo: VNA)Also according to the agency, by the end of the third quarter,Vietnam's frozen fillets of Tra fish exported to the US increased by 19% involume and 66% in value over the same period last year, accounting for nearly60% and 43% of the respective total volume and value of fish species importedfrom Vietnam in the market. This was also the product with the highest growthin import price among seafood products bought by the US in the first threequarters.
The USremains the largest market for Vietnamese seafood exports, he told Vietnam News Agency correspondents, adding that as of October,Vietnam’s fishery products shipped to the country had earned 1.9 billion USD, up15% year-on-year. The figures for Tra fish alone were 491 million USD and 70%during the period.
However, Hung said, between July and now, Vietnam's Tra fishexports to the US have only fluctuated between 32-33 million USD per month, asignificant decrease from the peak of 81 million USD in April.
He forecast that difficulties facing Vietnamese seafood,including Tra fish, that arose from the second half of 2022 will likely continueto dominate in 2023 due to the risk of a recession in the global economy and a highlevel of inflation in the US coupled with volatile exchange rates and stiffercompetition from competitors offering low-cost and low-priced products.
He noted one positive sign is that the USDA plans topurchase 1.44 million pounds of catfish products serving food assistance for participantsof the Build Back Better programme. Tra fish, with a much lower price than thecommon level of catfish, has become an import priority of the department.
The fact that many families in the US consumers have changed their consumptionhabits since the COVID-19 pandemic, including consuming seafood at home and buyingthese products at lower prices, will be a good opportunity for Vietnam's Trafish and other seafood products to approach the table of American families andgain market share in this difficult market next year, the diplomat added./.
VNA
