Illustrative image (Source: VNA) According to theVietnam Association of Seafood Producers and Exporters (VASEP), shrimp exportsto Japan recovered since August 2016 and kept growing until March 2017.
The associationattributed the rise to changes in tastes of local consumers who now prefercheaper aquatic products to salmon, tuna and cuttlefish.
Demand fordifferent kinds of shrimp among high-end consumers also increased, theassociation said, noting that all these factors have drawn shrimp businesses toJapan.
AlthoughVietnamese shrimp is sold at a high price of 12 USD per kg on average, they arestill popular thanks to their improved quality, the association said.
Cooperationprogrammes in agriculture between the two countries have also facilitatedVietnam’s shrimp export to Japan, the association added, asking Vietnamesebusinesses to maintain product quality and prestige.
Vietnamese shrimpfirms, however, said they still face various difficulties, especially ashortage of raw shrimp.
The Director ofThien Phu Export Seafood Processing Company Limited said the company is makingevery effort to ensure material supply by connecting with shrimp farms whichfollow GlobalGap standards, covering a total area of 500 ha in the Mekong Deltaprovince of Bac Lieu.
VASEP forecastthat Vietnam’s shrimp export turnover in 2017 will amount to about 3.4 billionUSD, up 9 percent year-on-year, of which export value of white-leg shrimp isexpected to edge up 8 percent to hit about 2 billion USD.-VNA
VNA
