Vietnam only shipped 1.3 billion USD worth of shrimp – a key exportcommodity – during the period, plunging about 28 percent from a yearearlier, according to Deputy General Secretary of the VietnamAssociation of Seafood Exporters and Producers Nguyen Hoai Nam.
Such a decline contributed to a 16 percent reduction in the six-monthaquacultural exports, which stood at around 3 billion USD.
Giant US and European buyers have traditionally had higher demand forshrimp around June, but this year has proved the opposite.
Vietnam earned just 48 million USD from shrimp exported to the US inMay, sliding 46 percent from 2014. Similar drops were also recorded inASEAN, Japanese and Australian markets.
European clients have been preferring shrimp from America for its preferential tariffs.
Nam also pointed to a downward trend in prices and a surge in theglobal shrimp supply as a remedy for early mortality syndrome, a diseasethat kills shrimp before it reaches marketable sizes, was implementedby a number of active exporters worldwide.
Thesefactors have led to difficulties in obtaining contracts, he said, sayingmeeting the year’s target of 3.9 billion USD in shrimp shipments,matching that of 2014, would be a success.-VNA