Catfish export surges

VGP – The export of tra, Vietnamese special catfish, to Spain in October surged 31.7% in volume and 9.4% in value against the same period last year following a three-month decline, according to the Việt Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP).

November 25, 2009 2:07 PM GMT+7

The export of the catfish to Spain is expected to further increase in the coming months thanks to the growing demand in this European market.

The situation is similar in other foreign markets, including the US, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland.

According to VASEP, the US spent nearly US $15.5 million on importing Vietnamese tra catfish in October, 2.5 times higher than October last year.

So, in the first 10 months of this year, Việt Nam earned an export turnover of US $111 million from the catfish delivered to the US, up over 71%. The country expects to earn US $1.4 billion from exporting tra this year.

Tra output has surged 50 times in the last 10 years, and its export value has skyrocketed 65 times, according to VASEP.

By Ngọc Vân