China increased imports of clams and mussels from Vietnam, with a value of more than 2.7 million USD in 5 months, nearly 120 times higher than the same period last year.
The Import-Export Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) cited data from the Chinese customs agency saying that the proportion of Vietnam's clam and mussel exports to this country has increased rapidly in recent times, from 0.2% last year to 19.1% in May this year.
In the first five months of the year, Vietnamese businesses exported clams and mussels to China with a value of 2.7 million USD, a sudden increase of 119 times compared to the same period last year.
Other molluscs in live, fresh or chilled form also had a sharp increase in export value, reaching more than 5 million USD, nearly 82 times higher than the same period.
Vietnam has over 41,500 hectares of mollusk farming (mainly bivalve mollusks) with an output of about 265,000 tons/year, of which clams reach 179,000 tons/year. This industry value chain is creating jobs for about 200,000 workers.
Not only China, according to data from the General Department of Customs, in the first 5 months of the year, exports of clams, mussels, and cockles to other countries reached nearly 36 million USD, an increase of about 8.2% over the same period.
According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), exports of this item are being boosted by the increasing demand for bivalves as a whole food source. The association assesses that the export demand for this item will continue to increase, provided that businesses have enough raw materials.
Along with the above mollusks, China also increased its lobster imports from Vietnam in the first 5 months. Exports of rock lobster and other marine shrimp to China during this period reached 79.6 million USD, 32 times higher than the same period last year. The market share of rock lobster from Vietnam increased from 1% last year to 25.3% of the total import value of this item into China this year.
At the same time, frozen rock lobster also increased by 682%, reaching nearly 3.4 million USD. Meanwhile, imports of frozen catfish fillets, dried fish, and frozen shrimp decreased sharply.
In May, Vietnam became the fourth largest seafood supplier to China, reaching 91.1 million USD, up 18.2% over the same period last year.
In the first 5 months, Vietnam was the 7th largest seafood supplier to this country. Domestic enterprises exported more than 365.5 million USD worth of seafood products, up 9.7% over the same period. The market share of this item also increased from 4.1% in the first 5 months of 2023 to 5.1% this year.
According to the Export Department, the market share of many Vietnamese seafood products in China's total imports in the first 5 months of 2024 increased compared to the same period in 2023, even though the value of some products decreased.
"This shows that Vietnamese seafood still has relatively good competitiveness in the Chinese market," the agency assessed.
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