Exports of most seafoods from Vietnam to the E.U. were down for the first half of 2013, due in part to lack of demand.
Pangasius exports dropped 14 percent to USD 191 million, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP). Shrimp exports dropped too, by 1.5 percent, to USD 138 million. The only growth in exports was seen in tuna, by 31 percent over 1H 2012, reaching USD 69 million.
In total, Vietnamese seafood exports to the E.U. generated USD 512 million, which is down 7.8 percent from 2012. The 2012 numbers were themselves a decline of 6.6 percent over 2011.
Typically, Spain buys 15 percent of Vietnam’s raw seafood per year, the highest single buyer in the E.U., but this year, imports to Spain fell by 16 percent.
VASEP blamed the decline on the economy, saying, “European people tighten their spending during financial crisis.”
