Tra fish exports surge to set new record

Nguyen Ngoc Oai, Acting Director General of the directorate, said tra fish exports have leapt from US$1.78 billion in 2017 to US$2.26 billion this year, compared to revenue of only about US$1.5 – US$1.8 billion over the last five years and the US$1.9 – US$2 billion target initially set for 2018.

The breakthrough growth is attributable to numerous factors, said the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

Aside from high prices since 2017, businesses have improved their product quality and organised production chains to ensure sufficient supplies.

Additionally, growing demand in many markets, particularly major ones like the US, China (including Hong Kong), the EU and ASEAN, has helped boost tra fish exports.

VASEP elaborated that this year, the US returned to top spot among Vietnam’s tra fish markets, with shipments surging by 54.5% to make up 24.2% of total revenue. Tra fish exports to China and the EU have hiked 23.7% and 17.1% year on year, respectively.

Oai said Vietnamese tra fish has suffered from anti-dumping duties imposed by the US over the years. However, in 2018, several delegations of inspectors from the US Department of Agriculture visited Vietnam. After examinations, this department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service proposed Vietnamese tra and basa fish be recognised as eligible for export to the US. 

Moreover, anti-dumping duties on some tra fish exporters have been reduced, even to 0% for some firms, helping tra fish shipments to this market enjoy breakthrough growth, the official added.