Local workers at a tra processing factory. Viet Nam's tra fish products are sold in more than 100 countries and territories. — File Photo

HCM CITY (Biz Hub) — Viet Nam's tra fish exports to China recorded strong growth in the first five months of the year, hitting nearly US$95 million, a year-on-year surge of nearly 73 per cent.

China is one of the three largest importers of Vietnamese tra fish, along with the US and EU, according to Vo Hung Dung, deputy chairman and general secretary of the Viet Nam Pangasius Association.

Exports of tra fish to Brazil have also surged, increasing 118.3 per cent to $32.8 million in the first five months of the year.

Total exports of tra fish reached 650.3 million in the same period, a rise of 5.5 per cent over the corresponding period last year, according to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

The US remains the top importer of tra fish from Viet Nam with $152 million, accounting for 23.4 per cent of total exports, a rise of 12.9 per cent over the same period.

In the EU, Vietnamese exports of tra fish continued to fall in the first five months.

As of the end of May, exports to the EU reached $109.3 million, a fall of 8.1 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The four largest EU importers of tra fish from Viet Nam are the UK, the Netherlands, Spain and Germany.

Viet Nam's tra fish exports are expected to reach $1.5 billion by the end of the year, a drop of 5 per cent from last year.

The US anti-dumping tax, catfish inspection programme and competition with white-flesh fish have all caused a decline in catfish exports, according to VASEP.

Viet Nam's tra fish products are sold in more than 100 countries and territories. — VNS