Việt Nam’s mollusk exports rising: Association

Workers processing whole clams in Nam Định Province. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — The export of mollusks and other aquatic products from Việt Nam is expected to continue its upward trajectory for the remainder of 2024.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the export turnover of Việt Nam’s mollusks in the first seven months of 2024 was estimated at over US$95 million, a 24 per cent increase year-on-year. Of this, clams accounted for $52 million, scallops $14 million, snails $16 million, oysters over $8 million, and other aquatic products nearly $4 million.

Among these products, snails saw the highest growth rate compared to the same period in 2023, with an increase of over 57 per cent.

Nguyễn Thị Vân Hà, a market expert from VASEP, highlighted that in the first seven months of 2024, China significantly increased its import of clams and scallops from Việt Nam, with a rise of 120 times compared to the same period in 2023. Additionally, the export value of other live, fresh, or frozen mollusks has also surged, surpassing $7 million, an increase of nearly 82 times year-on-year.

In addition to China, other countries have also boosted their imports of Vietnamese mollusks, Hà added.

She reported that markets are also increasing their imports of rock lobsters, octopuses, and crabs. In the reviewed period, China raised its import of rock lobsters and other types of sea shrimp to an estimated $111 million, marking a 32 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. Consequently, the share of Vietnamese rock lobsters in China’s total import value for this product rose from 1 per cent last year to 25.3 per cent this year. Moreover, the export revenue of frozen rock lobsters to this market saw a dramatic increase of 682 per cent, reaching $4.7 million.

For crabs, China and Hong Kong (China) remained the largest import markets for crabs and other crustaceans from Việt Nam, accounting for 43 per cent of the country’s total. In July alone, crab and other crustacean exports to this market increased 20 times year-on-year, reaching nearly $13 million, bringing the figure in the first seven months to nearly $63 million, a year-on-year rise of 623 per cent.

Exports to the US and Canada are also growing positively, with increases of 30 per cent and 44 per cent, respectively.

Meanwhile, exports to Japan have been on a downward trend for the past three months. The export value of crabs and other crustaceans to this market in the first seven months decreased slightly by 0.3 per cent to over $40 million. — VNS