The export turnover for aquatic products touched US$618 million in May, pushing the total amount in 2017 to $2.8 billion, a year-on-year rise of 10.4 per cent.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said the United States, Japan, China and South Korea are leading importers of Vietnamese aquatic products, accounting for 53.5 per cent of the country’s export value.

In May, Viet Nam also imported $87 million worth of aquatic products, raising the five-month figure to $508 million, up 28 per cent year on year. According to the ministry, this is because processing enterprises have increased their purchase of fish for export, especially to the Chinese market.

Meanwhile, despite a slight fall, tra fish price remained high at VND26,000 ($1.1) per kilo.

Tra fish production in the Mekong Delta region in the first five months of 2017 reached 466,000 tonnes, a 11.1 per cent rise compared to the same period last year. The tra fish farming area stood at 3,092 hectares, a drop of 6.2 per cent.

In May, material shrimp price rose slightly after a decline in the previous month. — VNS