US increases tra imports in Q1

Friday, May 09, 2014 08:36

The US became the largest tra fish importer from Viet Nam and the EU was the second largest. — File Photo

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — The US was the largest export market of Vietnamese tra fish in the first quarter of this year, stated deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP),Vo Hung Dung.

Dung said earlier this week at a briefing of the association and Cuu Long (Mekong) delta provinces and cities in Can Tho City that Viet Nam's export value of tra fish in the first quarter of this year had a year-on-year increase of 5.17 per cent to US$408 million.

The US became the largest tra fish importer from Viet Nam and the EU was the second largest, Dung added.

In the first quarter, the export value of tra fish had a year-on-year surge of 15.25 per cent to $84 million in the US market while a year-on-year fall of 13.13 per cent to $82.87 million in the EU.

Meanwhile, the export value of tra fish to Brazil and ASEAN countries reached $68 million, he stated.

At the meeting, a representative of the Directorate of Fisheries pointed out that by the end of April, the Cuu Long Delta region had harvested 253,000 tonnes of tra fish and had a total area of 2,814 hectares for tra fish farming.

The VASEP reported that early this month, the price of tra fish for export processing reduced to VND24,500 per kilogram after increasing to VND24,600–25,600 per kilogram in March and April.

However, it was still higher than that of VND22,600–23,200 per kilogram in early this year because this was not the time for harvesting tra fish, the association stated.

Dung remarked that because the price is high, farmers will profit from growing tra fish, but the farmers have not yet increased investment in tra fish because the price is unstable.

He noted that in the past, the Government had policies to solve difficulties in production and trading of tra fish for enterprises, including credit loosening policies.

Businesses expect these policies to be continued next year so that they can further invest in improving quality and quantities of tra fish and ensure sustainable development of the industry in the coming years. — VNS

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