EU represents largest export market for Vietnamese clams

This comes as demand for clams in the EU market continues to grow to become one of the main groups of seafood traded and consumed in the bloc.

Most notably, the past year has seen the export of shelled molluscs to the EU market skyrocket by 37% to US$87 million due to clam exports surging by 42% to reach US$78 million.

Clams have risen to have the fourth largest seafood export value to the EU market. Of this, clam exports to the three largest markets in the bloc, including Spain, Italy, and Portugal, have all soared by between 38% and 44%.

Nguyen Nhu Tiep, director of the Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Control Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, assessed that the international market demand for bivalve molluscs is currently at a very high level. However, currently the clam harvest in the Vietnamese market has yet to meet the orders from the EU.

According to a representative of Oxfam Organization in Vietnam, valid Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certificate is viewed as a passport to ensure the development of safe seafood and is a protective trademark for local seafood products.

Therefore, in order to exploit the potential of the export market, along with supporting businesses to effectively approach buyers, Oxfam in Vietnam and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) have conveyed messages related to the goal of sustainable clam market development, in line with MSC standards.

Currently, the EU makes up the largest export market for Vietnamese clams, accounting for more than 70% of the total export volume, followed by the United States, Singapore, and Japan. Products manufactured in accordance to MSC standards to ensure food hygiene and safety can easily penetrate into supermarkets, high-class restaurants, or for exports to demanding markets such as the EU and Japan.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), increasing market demand coupled with stable clam production represent supportive factors for Vietnamese bivalve mollusk exports to the EU. In addition, tax incentives from the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) also partly help to promote the export of Vietnamese bivalve mollusk products to the EU.

Through the efforts of competent agencies in developing the raw material area to ensure consistently high-quality standards from the import market, it is expected that Vietnamese clam exports to the EU market will continue to enjoy impressive growth in the near future.