Alaska pollock continues to be the most imported fish into South Korea. Pangasuis and catfish ranked second and tilapia slid to the third position.In the first two months of 2014, South Korea imported 190.7 MT of frozen pangasius fillets from Vietnam, down 16.9 per cent year on year, according to the International Trade Center (ITC) statistics. However, pangasius price tends to be higher than the same period of last year, reports VASEP.
In the first two months of 2014, Vietnamese frozen pangasius fillets to South Korea priced at $3.86 per kilogram averagely, up 6.6 per cent year on year. The 2013 average price was $3.72 per kilogram, down 3.1 per cent compared to US$3.4 per kilogram in 2012.
In 2013, Alaska pollock took the largest part among frozen fish fillets (HS0304) imported into Korean market, followed by tilapia, pangasius and catfish. Cod products had the smallest import volume. Alaska pollock got the strongest import growth while pangasius and catfish saw slow growth.
Korean buyers only sourced frozen pangasius fillets from Viet Nam while Thailand was the biggest supplier of frozen catfish.
