Impressions of white leg shrimp exports

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in 2013, the supply of white-leg shrimp from major shrimp exporting countries in the world decreased sharply compared to last year, with increased demand at the end of the year supporting the production and export of Vietnamese white-leg shrimp.

It is forecasted that the export value of white-leg shrimp in 2013 could reach 1.2 billion USD, a record high to date.

It is forecasted that the export value of white-leg shrimp for the whole year of 2013 could reach 1.2 billion USD, a record high to date.

According to the Directorate of Fisheries, as of September 2013, the total brackish water shrimp farming area in the country was 628,724 hectares, of which the white-leg shrimp farming area was only 47,283 hectares, the remaining 581,441 hectares were for black tiger shrimp farming. However, the white-leg shrimp output reached 106,497 tons, nearly reaching the output of 152,313 tons of black tiger shrimp.

The export value of white-leg shrimp as of September 15, 2013 reached 875.4 million USD, higher than the 868.3 million USD of black tiger shrimp in the same period. This brings the export value of white-leg shrimp in the first 9 months of 2013 to an estimated 952.4 million USD, up 79.6% over the same period last year and accounting for 47.1% of the total shrimp export value of the country, while black tiger shrimp export only reached 928.2 million USD, up 2.14% and accounting for 45.9% of the total shrimp export value of the country.

In the first 8 months of 2013 alone, white-leg shrimp exports reached nearly 800 million USD, surpassing the total export turnover of white-leg shrimp in 2012 with 740 million USD. Almost all major shrimp consuming markets of Vietnam have increased their consumption of white-leg shrimp. Customs statistics show that in the first 8 months of 2013, the proportion of white-leg shrimp exported to Japan increased from 31.6% in the same period last year to 42.7%, the US increased from 37% to 66.3%, the EU increased from 45.7% to 53% and China increased from 11.4% to 19%.

Due to the impact of the global economic recession, people's consumption trends and habits have changed from preferring large, expensive tiger prawns to small, low-priced white-leg shrimp. This change in consumption habits is most evident in the Japanese and American markets. In 2012, many reports on the Japanese shrimp market showed that Japanese consumers had switched from using tiger prawns to white-leg shrimp in traditional dishes, and this trend continued in 2013.

According to baocongthuong-PH