Tra fish exports plummet 39 pct. in first five months hinh anh 1Workers process tra fish for export (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - Exports of tra (pangasius) fish slipped 39 percent in the first five months of 2020 compared to the same period last year to 456 million USD, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has said.

Fisheries exports to major markets such as China, Europe, and the US posted double-digit declines during the period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it added. 

The tra fish sector is expected to completely recover in the third quarter if the pandemic remains under control and businesses reopen, according to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers.

China, which accounts for a substantial 22.5 percent of Vietnam’s tra fish exports, has seen recovery in demand. Vietnam’s northern neighbour has contained the pandemic and begun to resume trade activities.

Inventories at some major tra fish importers, meanwhile, are quite low.

General Director of the Directorate of Fisheries Tran Dinh Luan said that in the time to come, the sector will enhance its management. Farmers and processing enterprises have been urged to work in tandem with market demand so as to avoid redundancy and a shortage of supply for export.

The sector will keep an eye on the market to quickly respond to and meet the requirements of importers when opportunities arise as well as to seek new markets, he added./.

VNA