Vietnam is complaining about trade barriers for pangasius in US and EU
Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) admitted that pangasius exports in USA and EU are declining at a fast pace but is considering that this is due to a trade war initiated by domestic competitors.
According to the data presented by VASEP, pangasius exports were worth 1.78 billion dollars (1.43 billion euros) last year, up 4.3 percent from 2016. At the same time, pangasius exports in the US were decreasing with 11%, while EU has bought with 22.3% less pangasius than the previous year. The association quoted Seafood Source portal who consulted some specialist, like Nguyen Tien Thong, an assistant professor of applied economics and marketing research at the University of Southern Denmark, on an artificial "whitefish wars" initiated by domestic competitors on both markets.
From Thong's point of view, pangasius’ growth in the U.S. and E.U. markets have been actively thwarted by market barriers erected by both the industry’s competitors and erroneous reporting by mass media.
Last year, pangasius market in EU was strongly affected by the decision of French retail giant Carrefour to suspend sales of Vietnamese pangasius in all its stores in Belgium, France, and Spain under the suspicion that pangasius farming was polluting the Mekong Delta, as reported by Spain’s Cuatro TV channel.
For now, Vietnam has gained access to Asian markets, like China, India, Japan and Thailand, who imported last year more catfish than in the past. Also, FAO reported that Latin America has emerged as the strongest market for Vietnamese pangasius. In the first half of 2017, countries from this region imported 15 percent more frozen pangasius compared with the first half of 2016, reaching a total of 75,000 MT of whole frozen and frozen fillets. Brazil overtook Mexico as the biggest buyer of pangasius with a 22% increase in imports. The average import prices rise with 39% in whole frozen and with 7% in frozen fillets.
(Photo source: Pixnio)
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