Shrimp exports to rise 15 pct

By Thuy Tien January 6, 2021 | 07:28 pm PT

Workers process shrimps at a factory in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by Shutterstock.

Vietnam has advantageous conditions to increase shrimp exports by 15 percent year-on-year to top $4 billion in 2021, industry insiders say.

Global demand has remained stable while other shrimp exporting countries have not recovered from pandemic impacts, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

China is the biggest shrimp producer in Asia, yet it lacks shrimp supply for processing and consumption.

Vietnam’s shrimps will benefit from tariff cut under new generation FTAs that the country has signed.

However, Vietnamese shrimp exported will have to face strong competition from India, where low production costs make its export prices more competitive, according to the Agro Processing and Market Development Authority.

China has imposed import restrictions based on quality, quarantine, and procedural issues which can result in a plunge in shrimp exports to the neighboring giant.

Shrimp exports are set to increase by 12.4 percent in 2020 to $3.78 billion despite the major impact Covid-19 has had on the seafood industry.