Despite difficulties, pangasius exports to Germany continue to grow strongly. It is forecast that pangasius exports to Germany will continue to increase strongly in the last months of the year.
According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), in 2023, due to fluctuations in the world and declining consumer demand, many major markets have reduced pangasius imports from Vietnam. However, Germany is still considered a stable market as it has continuously recorded positive growth for many months.
Citing data from the General Department of Customs, VASEP said that after 3 consecutive months of decline, in September 2023 pangasius exports to Germany increased again when this market bought nearly 6 million USD of pangasius from Vietnam, an increase 2.5 times higher than the same period last year.
In the first half of October 2023, pangasius exports to Germany reached a turnover of nearly 2 million USD, nearly doubling over the same period in 2022. As of October 15, 2023, this European country consumed more than 30 million USD for Vietnamese pangasius, up 35% over the same period in 2022.
According to VASEP, in the first months of 2023, Germany is always among the top markets maintaining increased imports of Vietnamese pangasius despite world fluctuations. Germany is also one of the few markets that recorded double-digit growth from 20 – 84% in the first half of this year, while most pangasius exports to other markets decreased.
Notably, in September 2023, Vietnamese pangasius exports to this market increased by 149%. Like other markets in the EU, Germany imports mainly frozen pangasius fillets and cuts (HS0304).
According to seafood experts, the Vietnam – EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) took effect in August 2020, bringing many incentives, creating more competitiveness for Vietnamese seafood products, and is Opportunities for Vietnamese businesses to export directly to the European market.
Reality shows that, despite being the country with the highest inflation rate among major economies, and continuing economic decline in 2023, Germany is still expected to replace Japan’s position – top 3 countries with the largest economies in the world in the past 10 years. Therefore, the opportunity to export Vietnam’s pangasius to this market is still good, especially at the end of the year when the festival season begins and demand from the service sector increases.
However, Mr. Duong Nghia Quoc – Chairman of the Vietnam Pangasius Association said that Germany is a difficult market, many agricultural products, including pangasius, have been penetrating for a long time but recently due to consumer demand so the quantity needs to be imported again.
Therefore, Mr. Quoc said that in addition to businesses having to prepare a stable source of goods and supply goods promptly, they must also try to ensure that goods meet the quality requirements of customers to maintain reputation.
