Each kilogram of brown crab imported from Ireland and Norway currently costs 700,000 to 800,000 VND, nearly 200,000 VND cheaper than Vietnamese crab.
Brown crabs from Ireland and Norway, also known as “super brick” crabs, are large in size and have attracted the attention of Vietnamese consumers over the past two years. These crabs are transported to Vietnam by air and are fresh and delicious when they reach consumers.
According to VnExpress, brown crabs at seafood stores in Vietnam are priced quite cheaply compared to domestic crabs with roe. Grade 1 brown crabs range from 700,000 VND to 800,000 VND per kilogram, 150,000-200,000 VND lower than grade 1 Vietnamese crabs with roe. In particular, frozen brown crabs cost only 350,000 to 400,000 VND per kilogram.
Mr. Hoang, the owner of a seafood store in Thu Duc City, said that this crab has the most roe from July to November. Thanks to abundant supply, the price of brown crab from Ireland and Norway is quite competitive compared to Vietnamese crab with roe.
In addition, brown crab also benefits from the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), with an import tax rate of 0%. This helps the price of imported brown crab to be quite "soft", especially in the context of Vietnamese crab with roe becoming increasingly scarce due to overexploitation.
According to traders, the process of raising roe crab in Vietnam lasts 5-6 months, while brown crab from Norway and Ireland has a more abundant supply, especially frozen crab, helping to reduce import costs.
Tran Van Truong, CEO of Hoang Gia Seafood, said that brown crab sales at his chain of stores increased by 30% in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period last year. This shows the growing consumer preference for imported products due to their good quality and reasonable prices.
Ireland’s brown crab industry is undergoing a major transformation as demand from key European markets such as France, Spain and Portugal has plummeted, leading to a 40% drop in fishermen’s income. According to the Market Advisory Council (MAC), an EU-established body, brown crab exporters are facing a surplus of stocks, forcing them to seek new markets outside the EU, particularly in Asia, where demand for brown crab is growing.
Vietnam is one of Ireland’s potential seafood export markets. In the first nine months of the year, Vietnam spent more than $4.6 million (VND115 billion) importing seafood from Ireland and $222 million (VND5,600 billion) importing seafood from Norway, up 8% over the same period last year. Although these figures are modest, items such as brown crab, bulot snails, and salmon from Ireland and Norway all saw significant growth, from single to double digits.
Irish Agriculture Minister Pippa Hackett, during her visit to Ho Chi Minh City in October, expressed her surprise at the strong demand for Irish seafood products such as brown crab, bulot snails, and blue lobster in Vietnam. She hopes that in the future, high-quality seafood products from Ireland will continue to reach Vietnamese consumers at competitive tariffs, thanks to the trade agreements between the two countries.
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